The Department of Agriculture (DA) has ordered the mass production of biological control agents to help control the red-striped soft scale insect (RSSI) outbreak affecting the country’s sugar industry.

In a statement, DA Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. said he directed the Sugar Regulatory Administration (SRA) to accelerate the mass production of a naturally occurring fungus that can suppress the rapid spread of the sap-sucking pest before it inflicts more serious damage.

“I told SRA to address the RSSI infestation head-on. We have the technology and the capability to produce the biocontrol agent to do so,” he said.

“We must have enough biocontrol agents to cover at least 75,000 hectares,” Tiu Laurel said.

To help speed up the production of biocontrol agents, the DA chief offered the laboratories of the Bureau of Plant Industry (BPI) and other DA facilities.

Tiu Laurel had earlier pledged additional funding to contain the outbreak. He made the vow during the 40th anniversary celebration of the SRA.

The SRA currently has about P8 million allocated for RSSI mitigation, but Tiu Laurel said additional resources will be made available not only for expanding fungus production but also for developing artificial intelligence-based tools for early pest detection and monitoring.

The SRA has received claims that areas infested in Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental exceeded 30 percent of the planted area.
So far, it has already verified about 4,600 hectares.

Industry sources said the pest may have spread further to Iloilo, Capiz and Leyte, and even Mindanao, raising fears that the affected area could expand sharply if left unchecked.

In 2025, the SRA mobilized the Inter-agency RSSI Task Force to intensify efforts to control the pest and to educate farmers on how to incorporate RSSI controls.

The pest was first detected in the Philippines in 2022, which has since emerged as one of the most serious biological threats to the sugar sector.

The insect feeds on plant sap, weakening cane growth while encouraging the development of sooty mold that further reduces photosynthesis and yields.

It can slash the sugar content of affected cane by as much as half, significantly reducing farm productivity and farmers’ incomes.PNA