Negros small sugar farmers to get cash aid amid pest outbreak

PEST OUTBREAK Red-striped soft-scale insects (RSSI) are seen infesting sugarcane plants on a farm in La Castellana, Negros Occidental, as the pest outbreak continues to affect more than 32 percent of the province’s sugarcane fields. —SRA PHOTO BACOLOD CITY—The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will deliver emergency cash transfers to small farmers in Negros Island Region (NIR) whose sugar farms have been infested by Red-stripped Small-Scale Insects (RSSI). A maximum of P10,000 will be given to each severely affected farmer, DSWD Regional Director Arwin Razo said. Razo met with Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson on the instruction of DSWD Secretary Rex Gatchalian to discuss the assistance following Negros Occidental’s declaration of a state of calamity. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Cash aid, not aerial spraying needed to fight Negros sugarcane pest The distribution will start as early as next week, he said. DSWD will get its data on the extent of the damage from the local government units and the Sugar Regulatory Administration, which will be validated. The amount to be distributed will depend on the extent of the damage to the farms of affected small farmers in the validated list, Razo said. They should be included in the Department of Agriculture registry of farmers, he added. Article continues after this advertisement “The timeline based on the instructions by my secretary, we have to do it at the soonest possible time, so hopefully while we are currently piloting the UPLIFT (Unified Package for Livelihoods, Industry, and Transport) assistance, we can also have it within the month of July, at least the initial distribution,” Razo said. UPLIFT Group 2 provides P2,000 a month over a period of six months to poor and near-poor beneficiaries, he said. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Pest attack in Negros sugar farms worsens There are an initial 160,000 identified beneficiaries in the NIR, more than 90,000 of whom are in Negros Occidental, for a total of P1.92 billion, Razo said. Initial pilot distribution in Negros Occidental will be in Sagay City, Talisay City and Hinigaran in Negros Occidental, and Vallehermoso and Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental. The beneficiaries are identified based on the Community-Based Monitoring System of the Philippine Statistics Authority, he said. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. The first month will be through annual payout and the succeeding months through digital platforms or to Lank Bank for those who have accounts there, Razo said./coa