Coco Pandemic confirmed!

MAASIN CITY – The dreaded Hispine Beetle infestation is spreading rapidly in the city.

At least 30 barangays have been infested and this number is expected to rise when the other villages are inspected by the Philippine Coconut Authority’s Hispine Beetle monitoring team.

The voracious coconut eating machines are devouring the fronds of young coconut trees and without its leaves the trees would die.

According to Provincial Coconut Development Director Manuel Sembrano at least 5000 non-fruit bearing trees have been infested. While in Barangays Pinaskohan, Nonok Norte, Nonok Sur, Cansirong, San Agustin and Lunas there were already confirmed instances of mature fruit bearing trees being attacked.
Sembrano said they had treated only half of the beetle infested trees because they lacked logistics and trained manpower.

“We are using pesticides to treat the younger non-fruit bearing trees, but not the fruit bearing ones, since the chemical we are using will affect the coconut’s fruits.”

He admitted they did not have enough Earwigs and Black Fungi (the beetle’s natural enemies) to kill the bugs with and infestation had spread too wide an area to be contained.

Sembrano told SLT the number of trees affected would increase once he received the field reports from his 18 Municipal Coconut Officers.

“We have a mega-disaster on our hands and had many years to prepare for it,” he lamented “but the Department of Agriculture was too complacent and now we are reaping the consequences.”
The Southern Leyte Times had written about the offer of assistance from the Vietnamese Minister of Agriculture who visited the country several years ago.

But Secretary Jose Yap had declined the offer believing the pesticides they had would suffice. Vietnam was infested by the Hispine Beetle a decade earlier and had solved the problem by mass producing the beetle’s natural enemies which included a killer wasp imported from Hawaii. (By ANTONIO M. REYES)

Other News

SOCA Evaded Major Issues

SSS Forgives Delinquent Members

Abaca Production down 50%

As I See It: What Is Their Platform

Comelect List of Local Candidates for the May 10, 2010 National Elections