Gov’t curbs cocolisap infestation

The government has curbed the outbreak of insect infestation in coconut trees in the country after six months of emergency treatment, preventing the income loss of close to a billion pesos in the coconut industry.

Presidential Assistant for Food Security and Agricultural Modernization Francis Pangilinan said they spent

₱177 million to treat more than a million infected coconut trees and brought the cocolisap infestation to “manageable levels.”

“Results of the scientific rapid ground assessment conducted in November and December of 2014 showed that the coconut scale insect infestation, after six months and the treatments used, are now down to manageable levels,” Pangilinan said in a Malacanang press briefing.

“We are no longer in outbreak levels. This means that the trees that had severe infestation prior to treatment now have moderate infestation. Those that had moderate infestation now have low infestation and those with low infestation now have almost zero infestation,” he added.

The government, however, continues to be vigilant, Pangilinan said. “According to our scientists, this pest will be with us and we cannot have an elimination or eradication of this pest, but we can manage it effectively. And therefore, we will continue to ask the public to be vigilant, to report possible incidents of recurrence of this infestation,” he said.

Back in June, 2014, President Aquino issued Executive Order No. 167 establishing emergency measures to control and manage the coco scale insect (CSI) infestation in Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon) and Basilan that threatened the $ 2- billion coconut industry and livelihood of around 3.5 million coconut farmers. The six-month scale insect emergency action program included chemical treatment of coconut trees and establishment of quarantine measures to prevent the spread of the infestation to other areas.

Of the 2.7 million coconut trees infested in various degrees by August, 2014, Pangilinan said the government was able to treat 1.6 million trees via pruning, trunk injection, and other measures.

He said the CSI hotspots in Calabarzon and Basilan were brought down to nine municipalities from 58 in June, 2014. These were: Balayan and Calaca in Batangas; Bay and San Pablo in Laguna; Candelaria, Mauban, Sampaloc and Polillo in Quezon; and Isabela, Basilan.

In Calabarzon alone, Pangilinan said a total of 1.1 million trees had been controlled. “We were able to reduce the infestation by as much as 90 percent among those trees. The total amounts allocated and spent for the process in the last six months was ₱177 million from the budget of P750 million -- at ₱150 per tree,” he added.

With the help of the Bureau of Plant Industry, the Philippine National Police, the local government units in Calabarzon and Basilan, Pangilinan said 23 quarantine checkpoints were established to prevent the spread of the infestation.

“Close to 4,000 interceptions were made; 3,000 shipments had permits while close to a thousand had no permits and were either sent back to the place of origin or properly disposed off,” Pangilinan said.

Pangilinan said they also provided “replacement income” of P52.8 million for the affected coconut farmers.

Pangilinan said they will continue to deploy quick response teams for surveillance and immediate treatment as well as keep the quarantine checkpoints in selected areas.

“We’re going to have to make the necessary adjustments so that the checkpoints are focused on these nine hotspots remaining, and there will still be continuing pruning,” he said.

“We already know how to intervene, we already know what the solution is to address and manage the pest, and therefore any recurrence we will be able to deal with squarely,” he added.