PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 1:49 AM by Tevita

Philippine coconut may be wiped out by pests

From : The Financial Express

MAY 20 : The Philippines’ coconut plantations are facing a pest infestation that’s threatening to wipe out output in the world’s biggest exporter of coconut oil in three years, an industry executive said.

“Today, it’s just 70,000 hectares, but if we can’t stop it from spreading, it could wipe out our entire coconut output in three years,” Danilo Coronacion, president of the CIIF Oil Mills Group,said. “The problem is finding all the pests before they destroy your plantation.” The government is acting to curb the infestation, providing insecticides and inoculants to kill the coconut leaf beetle, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap

The spread of the coconut leaf beetle, known as brontispa longgissima, may further cut production in the Southeast Asian nation, which was hit by 20 typhoons last year, including four - supertyphoons packing winds of at least 185 km (115 miles) an hour, according to local forecasters. Prices may jump to $900 a metric tonne in the next few months, from $763.68 a metric tonne in April, Coronacion said. That compares with a record high of $988.4 a tonne in 1984. coconut oil prices surged 46% in April from a year earlier, according to the Philippine Coconut Authority.

The Southeast Asian nation accounts for about 60% of global coconut-oil exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The commodity is used for cooking, making raw materials used to produce soap and mixed with regular diesel for an alternative fuel.
The area planted with coconuts rose to 3.31 million hectares (8 million acres) in 2006 from 3.24 million hectares in 2005.

The coconut leaf beetle infested 10 countries in Asia from 1999 through 2004, causing about $30 million in production losses on 7,229 hectares in Thailand in 2004, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization web site.



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DIVA-GIS	Monday, May 21, 2007 Posted 1:49 AM by Tevita Philippine coconut may be wiped out by pests From : The Financial Express MAY 20 : The Philippines’ coconut plantations are facing a pest infestation that’s threatening to wipe out output in the world’s biggest exporter of coconut oil in three years, an industry executive said. “Today, it’s just 70,000 hectares, but if we can’t stop it from spreading, it could wipe out our entire coconut output in three years,” Danilo Coronacion, president of the CIIF Oil Mills Group,said. “The problem is finding all the pests before they destroy your plantation.” The government is acting to curb the infestation, providing insecticides and inoculants to kill the coconut leaf beetle, Agriculture Secretary Arthur Yap The spread of the coconut leaf beetle, known as brontispa longgissima, may further cut production in the Southeast Asian nation, which was hit by 20 typhoons last year, including four - supertyphoons packing winds of at least 185 km (115 miles) an hour, according to local forecasters. Prices may jump to $900 a metric tonne in the next few months, from $763.68 a metric tonne in April, Coronacion said. That compares with a record high of $988.4 a tonne in 1984. coconut oil prices surged 46% in April from a year earlier, according to the Philippine Coconut Authority. The Southeast Asian nation accounts for about 60% of global coconut-oil exports, according to the US Department of Agriculture. The commodity is used for cooking, making raw materials used to produce soap and mixed with regular diesel for an alternative fuel. The area planted with coconuts rose to 3.31 million hectares (8 million acres) in 2006 from 3.24 million hectares in 2005. The coconut leaf beetle infested 10 countries in Asia from 1999 through 2004, causing about $30 million in production losses on 7,229 hectares in Thailand in 2004, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization web site. * 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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