Province awaits word on disease declaration

National, Normal
Source:

The National, Wednesday February 12th, 2014

 A SECOND declaration of Madang as a “disease area” is likely, the Madang Provincial Disaster Office says.

Acting director Norman Philemon said yesterday the provincial government was going to declare Long Island a “disease zone”.

But it has been advised against doing so until scientists had verified and confirmed the situation on the island, which is reportedly destroying and killing food crops, mainly staple starchy crops like taro, bananas and yams.

In 2-12 the national government declared Madang a “disease area” because of the devastation caused by the Bogia Coconut Syndrome to coconut palms in parts of the Bogia, Sumkar and Madang districts.

Following the declaration, a quarantine checkpoint at Tapo was set up, with travellers still being told to remove plant material that could contain or easily spread the disease.

Plants being stopped or removed are coconut seedlings, those not husked, any leaves covering sago or mustard and cuttings of all plant material.

Checkpoints have been set up at airports, the wharf and the Madang-Ramu Highway to control the movement of coconut seedlings and other plant materials out of the province.

In a meeting last t week with scientists from the Cocoa Coconut Institute, officers from the provincial agriculture and primary industry and locals from affected communities, Philemon said the provincial government wanted to make the declaration but would await expert advice from scientists and specialists on the Long Island situation before any announcement.