East New Britain Province has been placed under an "agricultural quarantine" as the Papua New Guinea government attempts to contain the spread of the destructive cocoa pod borer.
The Post Courier reports the Government has just under 1-million US dollars to assist in efforts to contain the pest.
Part of the money will be used to station quarantine officers in major ports of entry into the whole of East New Britain Province.
Agriculture and Livestock Minister Mathew Siune says officers from the Cocoa and Coconut Institute and the National Agriculture Research Institute were working around the clock to control the spread of the pest.
