ILOILO CITY – Rice supply in the province of Antique is threatened by the rice black bug.
AGRICULTURISTS visit a rice field infected with rice black bug in Antique. (Office of the Provincial Agriculturist-Antique)
The provincial government confirmed that rice black bug has affected farmers in Valderrama and Patnongon towns.
The Office of the Provincial Agriculturist said that RBB, also known as the Malaysian Black Bug, poses a significant threat to rice crops.
Damage can range from 60 percent to 100 percent.
In Valderrama, around 30 farmers in Barangay Takas have rice fields infested with RBB.
In Patnongon, nine farmers in Barangays Amparo, Igbobon, La Rioja, and Amparo have infested rice fields.
More than nine hectares of rice fields in the two towns have been affected.
Gov. Rhodora Cadiao has ordered OPA to provide buffer stocks of insecticides from the Department of Agriculture (DA) and biological control methods.
Jovita Juvy Moscoso, provincial integrated pest management coordinator, has advised farmers to practice synchronous planting to break the RBB’s life-cycle and prevent the spread.