Virus threatens Nueva Vizcaya citrus industry

By Charlie Lagasca

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya – A fruit virus is threatening this province’s citrus industry.

Hundreds of hectares of farms planted with various citrus species were infested with the deadly “huang long bing” disease, according to Eriño Basadre Jr., agriculturist of Kasibu town where the bulk of citrus production in the province comes from.

Basadre said the “huang long bing,” a viral fruit disease also known as citrus greening disease, can destroy ready-to-harvest citrus fruit.

Affected plants, reports said, have yellowed leaves and discolored, deformed fruit. These plants will die unless properly treated, he said.

Citrus growers expressed fears that the continued spread of the disease could lead to the death of the industry in the province, dubbed the region’s citrus capital.

Reports showed at least 2,000 hectares of citrus plantations were affected since the infestation started.

The province, reports said, could only expect citrus production from around 500 hectares this harvest season.

“Our production was downed by 50 percent as compared to five years ago because of this problem,” said Kasibu Mayor Alberto Bumolo Jr.

Some citrus farmers, Bumolo said, shifted to other crops as maintaining citrus plantations has become difficult and costly.

He said experts from the Bureau of Plant Industry have been trying to contain the disease.

“This has been a problem we are facing. Before we used to harvest thousands of tons of citrus, which enabled us to link with various markets, including the National Capital Region,” Bumolo said.

The mayor said they were already establishing a market abroad when the disease started to surface about five years ago.

Among the solutions being initiated was the cutting down of affected trees and their immediate replacement by disease-free seedlings as well as banning self-propagation by farmers of their own seedlings.