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Government allocates K1.08 million
THE National Government has allocated
K1.08 million for an aggressive prevention exercise on the
dangerous pest – cocoa pod borer (CPB) – in East Sepik province.
The PNG Cocoa Coconut Institute said in a statement yesterday that
ESP had already begun work on preventing the pest from entering
the province’s six electorate.
“The prevention work in the electorate is necessary because this
is where bulk of small cocoa farmers are fully aware of the
dangers of the CPB which has the potential to devastate the
country’s K200 million cocoa industry and the dangers it can
impose on their cocoa pods,” the PNGCCI said.
A technical committee involving officials from the institute,
Agriculture Department and the National Agriculture Quarantine
Inspection Authority are on the ground now.
The cocoa disease – conopomorpha cramerella – was confirmed
particularly within the Central Gazelle LLG area in East New
Britain at about the same time last year by the National
Agriculture Research Institute (NARI) and Cocoa Coconut Industry (CCI)
scientists.
The CPB is a serious pest of cocoa pods in Malaysia, the
Philippines and Indonesia.
Crop losses can be up to 20-80%.
East New Britain is among the leading cocoa producing provinces
besides Bougainville and Madang.
About 90% of cocoa and copra in PNG is produced by smallholders.
 
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