PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 3:53 PM by Luigi

Sugarcane threatened in PNG

By PETER KORUGL in The National.

PAPUA New Guinea will ban all sugarcane materials from Australia as it takes measures to contain the spread of the deadly sugarcane smut disease that is fast spreading north from Australia.The National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) and PNG’s biggest sugar producer – Ramu Sugar Limited – are looking at ways to keep the disease out of the country.One of those strategies will be to ban all sugarcane materials entering PNG from Australia, the two organisations said yesterday,“We want strict quarantine measures to be applied at all ports of entry into PNG.“All persons coming into PNG from sugarcane growing regions of Australia will go through strict quarantine procedures,” Dr Lastus Kuniata, Ramu Sugar Limited’s senior principal scientist and PNG’s leading sugar expert told The National yesterday.Papua New Guinea and Fiji are the only countries in the world that do not have sugarcane smut.The disease was found in the Ord River district in Western Australia in 1998. Recently, it was discovered in Queensland in the Bundaberg and Chidders sugarcane growing areas and now in Mackay.“In an attempt to minimise the potential risk of introducing sugarcane smut into PNG, strict quarantine monitoring procedures will apply to all incoming travellers and equipment. “This includes a ban on all movement of sugarcane materials from Australia to PNG unless these canes were subjected to proper quarantine procedures and from an Australian Quarantine Inspection authority approved facility,” Dr Kuniata said.The position taken by Ramu Sugar is supported by NAQIA, whose managing director Andrew Yamanea sent out an alert this week about the disease, saying that “the disease causes crop losses of 30% or more”.“In PNG, the disease has the potential to affect the chewing cane and ‘pitpit’ in the cillages.“The local germplasm or genetic source may also be affected causing ‘genetic erosion’,” Mr Yamanea said in a statement.The disease is caused by a fungus. Affected sugarcane plants are easily identified by a black whip-like structure that forms at the top of a shoot or stalk.



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Box 1828 Boroko National Capital District Papua New Guinea Tel: (675) 3235511 Fax: (675) 3234733 Email: kambuou@global.net.pg Ms Laisene Samuelu Principal Crop Development Officer Crops Division Ministry of Agriculture, Forests, Fisheries & Meteorology P.O. Box 1874 Apia Samoa Tel: (685) 23416-20605 Fax: (685) 20607-23996 Email: lsamuelu@lesamoa.net Mr Jimi Saelea Director of Research Department of Agriculture and Livestock P.O. Box G13 Honiara Guadalcanal Solomon Islands Tel: (677) 27987 Mr Tony Jansen Planting Materials Network Kastom Gaden Association Burns Creek, Honiara P.O. Box 742 Honiara Solomon Islands Tel: (677) 39551 Email: kastomgaden@solomon.com.sb Mr Finao Pole Head of Research Ministry of Agriculture & Forests P.O. Box 14 Nuku'alofa Tonga Tel: (676) 23038 Fax: (676) 24271 Email: thaangana@hotmail.com Mr Frazer Bule Lehi Head of Research Department of Agriculture & Rural Development Private Mail Bag 040 Port Vila Vanuatu Tel: (678) 22525 Fax: (678) 25265 Email: flehi@hotmail.com Other links Other CROP agencies Forum Secretariat University of the South Pacific SPREP Pacific biodiversity Biodiversity hotspots Breadfruit Institute Hawaiian native plants Intellectual property rights Nature Conservancy PBIF PestNet SIDS WWF South Pacific Program Other Pacific organizations Foundation of the Peoples of the South Pacific Micronesian Seminar Te Puna web directory Pacific news Cafe Pacific CocoNET Wireless Island Directory Pacific Islands News Pacific Islands Report Pacific Islands Travel Pacific Time South Pacific travel Time Pacific Interested in GIS? DIVA-GIS	Tuesday, December 05, 2006 Posted 3:53 PM by Luigi Sugarcane threatened in PNG By PETER KORUGL in The National. PAPUA New Guinea will ban all sugarcane materials from Australia as it takes measures to contain the spread of the deadly sugarcane smut disease that is fast spreading north from Australia.The National Agriculture Quarantine and Inspection Authority (NAQIA) and PNG’s biggest sugar producer – Ramu Sugar Limited – are looking at ways to keep the disease out of the country.One of those strategies will be to ban all sugarcane materials entering PNG from Australia, the two organisations said yesterday,“We want strict quarantine measures to be applied at all ports of entry into PNG.“All persons coming into PNG from sugarcane growing regions of Australia will go through strict quarantine procedures,” Dr Lastus Kuniata, Ramu Sugar Limited’s senior principal scientist and PNG’s leading sugar expert told The National yesterday.Papua New Guinea and Fiji are the only countries in the world that do not have sugarcane smut.The disease was found in the Ord River district in Western Australia in 1998. Recently, it was discovered in Queensland in the Bundaberg and Chidders sugarcane growing areas and now in Mackay.“In an attempt to minimise the potential risk of introducing sugarcane smut into PNG, strict quarantine monitoring procedures will apply to all incoming travellers and equipment. “This includes a ban on all movement of sugarcane materials from Australia to PNG unless these canes were subjected to proper quarantine procedures and from an Australian Quarantine Inspection authority approved facility,” Dr Kuniata said.The position taken by Ramu Sugar is supported by NAQIA, whose managing director Andrew Yamanea sent out an alert this week about the disease, saying that “the disease causes crop losses of 30% or more”.“In PNG, the disease has the potential to affect the chewing cane and ‘pitpit’ in the cillages.“The local germplasm or genetic source may also be affected causing ‘genetic erosion’,” Mr Yamanea said in a statement.The disease is caused by a fungus. Affected sugarcane plants are easily identified by a black whip-like structure that forms at the top of a shoot or stalk. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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