Protecting country from pest, disease vital: Official

NATIONAL Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (Naqia) managing director Joel Alu says the country must protect its borders from pests and diseases.
Alu said that during the launch of Naqia’s 2020-2024 corporate plan in Port Moresby on Tuesday.
“PNG shares a very big border and there is a lot happening on the other side, in South East Asia, we need to be on our guard,” he said.
He said funding had been the biggest challenge for Naqia.
“For the last 20 years, we have been trying our best to control the spread of pests and diseases into the country,” Alu said.
He said the impact of global warming and climate change had increased the level of risks in terms of changing modality of pests, diseases and irregular changes in crop production.
There were policy shifts in the Pacific to prepare and adjust towards such phenomena through climate smart agriculture.
These challenges made Naqia’s functional roles and responsibilities important today and in the years ahead as the competent biosecurity authority in providing leadership in protecting PNG’s unique plant and animal health status.
“It is affecting our plants and animals, the way that those plants and animals behave, we have seen occurrence of pests and diseases, the coffee berry borer, cocoa pod borer and African Swine Fever (ASF),” he said.
Alu said funding for Naqia was crucial for the authority to control and eradicate these diseases and pests. He said Naqia had the know-how but needed adequate support.
“Our mandate is to facilitate trade, monitoring and surveillance,” he said.
“One of the issues, we have in so far as allowing imports to come into this country, is our restrictions are based on science, it’s not administrative, so we continue to maintain that.
Naqia is currently addressing the ASF.
The response had progressed well with the support from the Australian and New Zealand governments through the Pacific Horticultural and Agricultural Market Access Plus programme.
The food and agriculture organisation and the world organisation for animal health have also assisted.