Photo courtesy of Negros Occidental Task Force Kontra RSSIDSWD eyes up to P10,000 aid for RSSI-hit sugar farmers
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) is considering financial assistance for small sugarcane farmers in the Negros Island Region whose farms were affected by the red-striped soft scale insect infestation.
DSWD-NIR Director Arwin Razo met with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on Thursday to discuss the preparation of a proposal for the planned assistance.
Razo said the initiative followed instructions from Social Welfare Secretary Rex Gatchalian to coordinate with the provincial government in determining how aid could be extended to affected farmers.
The proposed assistance would initially cover small sugarcane growers in Negros Occidental, which has been under a state of calamity since June 30 because of the widespread infestation.
The DSWD said information from local governments would be cross-checked with records from the Sugar Regulatory Administration and other agencies before the proposal is finalized.
Reports showed that 61,242 hectares, or 32.18 percent of the province’s 190,314 hectares of planted sugarcane areas, had been affected by the pest as of June 23.
The SRA has warned that the infestation could reduce the sugar content of affected canes by as much as 50 percent.
Razo said farmers with severely damaged plantations could receive up to Php 10,000 under an emergency cash transfer program, with an initial distribution targeted within July in coordination with the Department of Agriculture.
