Press Release

Varro mite not such a threat to PNG coffee

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Research has indicated that the potential economic impact of a new Varroa mite on PNG agriculture is likely to be much less significant than speculated earlier. This was revealed at a review workshop of the collaborative research between Australian and PNG scientists. The workshop was hosted by NARI in Lae on May 14 2009 which gathered a number of key agencies working together on the issue.

The new variant of the varroa mite (Varroa jacobsoni) was first found in PNG on European honeybees (Apis melifera) in the Eastern Highlands in May 2008. The mite is now thought to have been in PNG for about six years. There were concerns the mite, which can decimate colonies of European honeybees, could significantly reduce the yields of a number of pollinated crops. Earlier predictions were that coffee yields alone could be cut by as much as 50 per cent. However, the study, just completed by scientists from NARI and the Australian-based Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), predicts that in a worst-case scenario, the mite would lead to annual economic losses to the coffee industry of less than K14 million, a fraction of the earlier prediction of K200 million. Read more...

Implications of emergence of 'swine flue' to pig farmers in PNG

Thursday, April 30, 2009

The current outbreak of Swine Flu on humans in Mexico and its spread to several other countries should not cause alarm for pig farmers or consumers of pork in PNG.  The name ‘Swine Flu’ is somehow a misnomer as the current outbreak has not as yet been proven to have originated from pigs or pig farms. Experts are still investigating to establish a link between this outbreak in humans and pigs or pig farms. However, it is always advised to follow proper hygienic procedures in the handling of pigs and processing of pork to prevent any health hazards.

The causative agent of this Swine Flu outbreak, the H1N1 virus, was found to have a mixture of genetic materials from pigs, human and birds, with the pig believed to have served as a suitable mixing pot. What has caused the global alarm is the fact that this strain can be transmitted from humans to humans and that it has a composite genetic material with potential to mutate further, giving it the potential to cause a pandemic. Its rapid spread from Mexico to several countries in Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and New Zealand is an indication of its easy transmission in humans like other types of flu, either through coughing, sneezing or by touching infected surfaces. Read more...