ILOILO City – Farmers in Western Visayas should brace themselves not just for the El Niño phenomenon. The Department of Agriculture (DA) Region 6 is expecting pests to proliferate.
Regional Director Jose Albert Barrogo tasked the Regional Crop Protection Center (RCPC) to identify the possible pests and crop diseases that may come out during El Niño so mitigating measures could be put in place.
These pests, he added, may affect not just rice but also other agricultural products.
“Mapagwa kami advisory sa mga farmers para ma-remind sang possibility nga maggulowa ining mga peste,” said Barrogo.
The regional director noted that most of the farmer associations have already been trained on how to manage pests.
Rice black bug sightings were already recorded in several towns in Iloilo province. Barrogo said the rice area so far reported to be affected was one hectare in Dingle town.
There were reports of rice black bugs, too, in Concepcion, Pototan, Calinog, and Cabatuan but so far no standing crops were adversely affected, said Barrogo.
“Naggulowa na ang rice black bugs. At least wala kita standing crop which is major nga maapektuhan,” he added.
The summer heat drives rice black bugs to come out. They usually come out during the dry season, said Barrogo.
The best way to net or control them is through light trapping and using spray control agent.
Barrogo said the RCPC has also been instructed to provide technical assistance to affected farmers so that the pest can be controlled as early as possible while they have no standing crops to feast yet.
Farmers are advised to alert their local municipal agriculture offices if they have monitored pests in their farms.
“Ang mga farmers naton knowledgeable naman na sila mag-manage sang rice black bugs. But kon need nila assistance ready man ang LGU (local government unit) and DA sa paghatag sang assistance,” Barrogo emphasized./PN
