Coffee Industry News

Coffee Berry Borer Update

The destructive Coffee Berry Borer (CBB) is likely to be detected inside the PNG side of the border with Indonesia and the government is being urged to allocate funds to contain it.
Coffee Industry Corporation’s (CIC) Acting General Manager for the Research & Grower Services Division based in Aiyura, Dr. Mark Kenny revealed this in Lae recently while attending a two week program planning workshop for the CIC.

He warned that the PNG coffee industry, which generates about K500 million annually for PNG through export revenue will crumble if the vicious insect is not contained and leaves the border areas for the major coffee growing provinces of Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Simbu and Morobe Provinces.

Dr. Kenny said that the full report of a joint delimiting survey currently initiated in the border areas by CIC and the National Agriculture Quarantine & Inspection Authority (NAQIA) will be completed by the end of July and it (report) will establish if CBB is present in PNG or not.

“The report will establish if CBB is present in the PNG side of the border or not, but upon preliminary findings, the presence of CBB is likely to be detected in the border areas. And if it enters the major coffee growing areas of PNG, our coffee industry will be greatly affected in the similar manner in which the cocoa pod borer did to cocoa in East New Britain and other provinces” said Dr. Kenny.

He said at the moment CBB is not being detected in the major coffee growing provinces of PNG, according to a CBB survey report of Madang, Eastern Highlands, Western Highlands, Simbu province.

Dr. Kenny said it will cost up to K10 million to contain the insect in the boarder areas of Telefomin, Vanimo Green and Vanimo District and over K100 million to save the whole PNG coffee industry, mainly through carefully executed coffee hygiene programs inclusive of coffee rehabilitation and also through rebuilding of the Research & Grower Services Division of CIC which is currently unable to perform its mandated function due to lack of government funding support.

 “Apart from other technical measures taken to address the CBB issue, a proposal to contain CBB is being prepared and will be submitted soon to the Government for funding consideration”, said Dr. Kenny.

He further urged farmers to quickly report any sightings of holes in coffee berries to the Coffee Industry Corporation offices in their respective province or Phone: 537 3511/3518, and Fax: 537 3524.

 

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Updated: August 22, 2011