MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE EMBARKED ON RHINOCEROS BEETLE

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock has embarked on controlling the invasive Rhinoceros beetle in the country.

The beetle is causing a biological threat to coconut plantations in the country.

Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, Jimmy Saelea told SIBC News the exotic pest can spread easily as it can fly from one place to another, infecting coconut trees.

But Mr Saelea says the only possible way to control its spread is to destroy its breeding sites and the Ministry is embarking destroying them.

“This is one of the world’s worst coconut pests and now that it’s here with us, we can only look at ways to control it. This is a flying insect which makes it harder to control, so what we are doing now is to control their breeding sites, the only way we can control and manage the pest.”

SIBC News understands the pest has been discovered in Honiara and other parts of Guadalcanal province.