Coffee borer quarantine declared for provinces

SIX Highlands provinces have been declared as quarantine and restricted areas by Minister for Agriculture and Livestock Tommy Tomscoll.
Tomscoll made the announcement yesterday following confirmed reports of coffee berry borer (CBB) in those areas.
According to National Gazette published in paper, the six provinces include; Jiwaka, Western Highlands, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, Southern Highlands and Enga.
“I confirm the reports that the coffee berry borer, a serious coffee pest, capable of doing massive destructions to the coffee industry in Papua New Guinea is present in the country.
“This pest was first sighted in Banz (Jiwaka) on Feb 21. It was then reported to Coffee Industry Corporation (CIC) on the same date and CIC then carried out a test, at Aiyura Coffee Research Station. That test confirmed that it was the pest.”
Tomscoll noted that the borer was not new to PNG. It was detected in around 2009 and 2010 in Yapsie in West Sepik. The disease was contained and eradicated.
He said CBB is known to have been present on Indonesian side of the border.
“Our authorities have been keeping surveillance on the pest since but it escaped surveillance and turns up inside the heart of coffee planting in Papua New Guinea.
“It has now become a concern, not only for the Government, not just the stakeholders, the growers but more so from those who buy coffee from Papua New Guinea. It is a concern in the market place.
“As we speak, there is a delimiting survey that is undertaken by CIC, Naqia and DAL officers on the ground in Jiwaka and Eastern Highlands.
“However, the survey is not limited to those two provinces.”