Negros Oriental farmers warned on cocolisap

CEBU, Philippines - After the devastation brought about by the scale insects, known as cocolisap, which destroyed hundreds of thousands of coconut trees in Batangas, Laguna, Cavite and Quezon provinces and lately in Basilan, farmers in Negros Oriental have been warned to conduct pro-active measures.

Philippine Coconut Authority-Negros Oriental provincial administrator Brendan Trasmonte said farmers here must conduct daily monitoring of their coconut trees and immediately report to his office any indication and presence of cocolisap in their respective areas.

Governor Roel Degamo has asked the PCA’s provincial office to be vigilant against cocosilap infestation, while the province is still free from it.

Capitol information officer Adrian Sedillo told The Freeman that Transmonte had briefed the governor on the status of the province’s coconut industry, which is the leading agricultural venture in Negros Oriental.

Trasmonte has witnessed the gravity of the cocolisap destruction while in Batangas last week for a training. About 70,000 coconut trees have been affected and that millions of pesos have been allotted to control the disease from spreading to nearby provinces.

While cocosilap has not infested Negros Oriental yet, Trasmonte had sounded the call to coconut farmers in not letting their guards down so that this agricultural disaster will not happen in the province, Sedillo said.

Negros Oriental has about nine million coconut trees with around seven million of them bearing fruit. Sedillo said possible entries like the airport and sea ports are being under close watch to prevent the arrival of “cocosilap” in the province with quarantine measures also set in place.   (FREEMAN)