PURPOSE: “To Quarintine all Coconut Seedlings from genetically diverse coconut accessions within & abroad for the international coconut genebank for the South Pacific at Punipuni Research centre”
The Kokonas Indastri Koporesen has opened a pre- entry quarantine Coconut nursery gene bank for the pacific at Kelababala on the 7th of June 2018, Samarai- Murua district of the Milne Bay Province in Papua New Guinea. The Coconut Nursery opening was attended by the government department representatives. These included the President of Louiside Rural LLG, NAQIA General Manager for technical services Mr. David Tenakanai who officially commissioned the South Pacific Coconut Nursery and other stakeholders.
The Coconut nursery will cater for all the variety of Coconut Seedlings to be preserved and kept on the island located in the northwest of Louisiade Archipelago within Milne Bay Province. The location is ideal because in an event where there is a coconut disease outbreak on the mainland of PNG or anywhere in the Pacific, the Genebank will be safe on the quarantined island, containing all the variety of coconut seedlings found in the South Pacific. So it could be replanted if the coconut species is affected by Bogia Coconut Syndrome (BCS) or other coconut diseases.
The people of Misima Island are privileged to be the guardians of the South Pacific Coconut gene bank and are willing to assist the Kokonas Indastri Koporesen in future coconut related projects.