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By Jovelyn Reyes, Philippine Daily Inquirer, March 15, 2002, p. A17 LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Officials here have blamed the excessive use of pesticides for the spread of spider mites in at least 50 hectares of strawberry farms in this town.Mayor Nestor Fongwan said spider mites have been ravaging the town's strawberry farms since last year. He also said the improper use of pesticides has killed the beneficial mites, the farms' natural pest control mechanisms, in strawberry plantations. Fongwan, however, said the infestation will not affect the town's strawberry production. He said agriculture experts from the Benguet State University here are propagating mite species that would eat the spider mites. "But they (new mite species) will be available for farm distribution only during the next cropping season," he said. At least 100 hectares of farmland in La Trinidad are devoted to strawberry production. The town produces at least 1,350 tons of strawberries yearly, making it the biggest strawberry producer in the country. Fongwan said they have yet to collate data on the losses that the pests did to the farms. He said they had been discouraging farmers from using pesticides because of their harmful effects on the beneficial mites. "But some farmers still use highly toxic pesticides in the hope that their strawberry plants will yield bigger and more luscious fruits," he said. The cropping season for strawberry starts in August. The strawberry plants mature and bear fruits after three months, and continue to replenish the harvested fruits until summer. "It's like mono-cropping but (strawberry plants) will continue to bear fruits until the rainy season comes," said municipal agriculturist Felicitas Ticbaen. Ticbaen, however, said the presence of spider mites is just "normal." She said these mites thrive throughout the year since there is no pesticide that can eliminate them. She said the Department of Agriculture is monitoring the pesticides used by strawberry farmers. Farmers here propagate the Chuga variety, a Japanese strawberry that Fongwan said only lives in an open field. He said they had set aside at least 300,000 pesos of their municipal budget for the construction of a pilot greenhouse in Barangay Bahong here. The greenhouse will produce strawberries throughout the year, even during the rainy season |
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