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Agricultural innovations
By MAISAN PAHUN
The National Agricultural Research Institute's (NARI) largest and
oldest research station - Lowlands Agricultural Experiment Station
(LAES) - at Keravat in East New Britain will mark 79 years of
scientific and agricultural research this year at its annual field
day on Tuesday, April 24.
The main theme will be "food crops for life through agricultural
innovations". The day will see the release of new agricultural
technologies, the launching of four development projects and many
displays of agricultural information targeting stakeholders in the
Niugini Islands region.
The major innovation to be launched will be two chemicals for taro
beetle control.
Taro is one of the most important staple food crops in all
countries of the Pacific region and is of cultural significance to
many of them. Taro beetle is the most serious constraint to taro
production and is ranked as the second most important pest on all
crops, after Fruit Flies, in the region. Losses due to taro beetle
in PNG and Fiji are estimated to be around AUD 40 million per
year. The technological innovation developed by NARI at LAES
Keravat and the South Pacific Commission in Fiji would enable the
production of good quality taro on both small and large scale
throughout the Pacific for enhanced food security and income
generation. The new technological innovation has addressed the
main production constraint, thus creating the potential for a new
taro export industry for PNG.
Four development projects will be launched on the day. The most
important of these is the European Union funded galip nut and
nutmeg spice development project. These two alternative cash crops
have been identified at NARI Keravat, from many years of research,
for the development of a major and new exportable cash crop
industry for PNG. The project is funded to supply elite planting
materials to farmers in East New Britain and to research the post
harvest requirements for the two crops. Elite galip nut seedlings
have been selected and will be planted in existing cocoa blocks to
provide both a shade for the cocoa and income. The project is part
of a NARI contingency plan to help reduce any negative economic
effects on farmers and the ENB province in the event that the
Cocoa Pod Borer pest cannot be eradicated.
Three other development projects that will be launched on the day
are funded by AusAID. Many important crop pests and diseases, such
as the Cocoa Pod Borer and VSD disease on cocoa, are present in
some places in PNG but not in others. There is a danger that these
pests can be accidentally introduced to new places through crop
planting materials. An internal quarantine facility has therefore
been established by NARI at LAES which caters for the production
and safe distribution of pest and disease free planting materials
to stakeholders and interest farmers in the islands region. The
second project is a poultry breeding and hatchery unit which
caters for production and distribution of Australorp chicken and
other selected breeds to the Niugini Islands region - 10,000
Australorp birds were distributed from the hatchery last year. The
last project launching marks the opening of the NARI mid-altitude
vegetable centre at Anismetki in the Baining mountains of ENBP.
Here, introduced vegetables such as potato, carrots, broccoli and
cauliflower are being researched and promoted for smallholders.
ENBP, New Ireland and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville now
have the opportunity to produce and market their own temperate
climate vegetables from their mid-altitude communities.
The occasion will see representatives of donors and VIPs from
other organizations that are engaged, in one way or other, with
agricultural projects at LAES. The East New Britain Governor
Honorable Leo Dion MP and Gazelle Member and Minister for Public
Service, Honorable Sinai Brown, MP, OBE will be the Guests of
Honor for the event. Other institutions and business houses will
exhibit displays and hundreds of farmers are expected to attend
the event.
LAES Keravat, established in1928, is well known throughout the
pacific for its significant contributions to agriculture over the
years.
This year continues in that tradition. The station's current
research strengths include: production and distribution of elite
food and cash crop varieties, indigenous and exotic fruit and
nuts, and emerging cash crops such as spices; production and
distribution of agricultural information; training of
stakeholders; entomology; plant pathology; livestock; tissue
culture; internal quarantine facilities; farm management; and
scientific expertise in cocoa and coconuts.
 
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