Sugarcane pest reaches Sultan Kudarat

KORONADAL CITY, SOUTH COTABATO, Philippines — The red-striped soft-scale insect (RSSI), a destructive sugarcane pest first detected in Bukidnon, has spread to Sultan Kudarat, raising concerns over its potential impact on the region’s sugar industry, agriculture officials confirmed on Tuesday.

Authorities said the pest, scientifically known as Pulvinaria tenuivalvata, was detected in a sugarcane plantation ...