COCONUT RHINOCEROS BEETLES (CRB) TASKFORCE MEETING 2022.
As a member of the Coconut rhinoceros beetles (CRB) Taskforce Committee, PNGOPRA Crop Protection Section joined the CRB taskforce meeting at Port Moresby along with Kokonas Indastri Koporesen (KIK) and the National Agriculture and Quarantine Authority (NAQIA) in the efforts to control Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle – Guam biotype (CRB-G) in PNG. Moreover, New Zealand AgResearch and the Pacific Community (SPC), two international collaborative partners organization that is part of the CRB task force committee, have also joined the meeting. The AgResearch and SPC have provided expertise on the research of biological controls and funding for awareness and delimiting surveys for the last two years.
The CRB Taskforce Committee meeting was held from the 14th to the 16th of November 2022 and hosted by NAQIA in Port Moresby.
The meeting was held purposely for collaborating partners to share a resource; activities update on CRB, findings, and ideas on biological control options for CRB-G in PNG and the pacific. The team, during the meeting, also conducted a field visit to Port Moresby Nature Park to observe CRB damages on different palm species within the park.
iv. A coconut palm with moderate damage from CRB-G in Port Moresby.