Tiny Pest Threatens Hawaii's Coffee Crop

A beetle known asthe coffee berry borer that threatens the health of Hawaii’scoffee industry has been found on several farms in Kona on the Big Island.

Officials at the state Department of Agriculture says the beetle was discovered last week by a University of Hawaii graduate student who was in theprocess of conducting research.

“She was finding about 90 percent of the trees in the field she was doing her research in were infested,” said state entomologist Neil Reimer.

The beetle is a native to Central Africa but is found inmany of the world’s coffee growing regions, including Central and South America,where it’s responsible for reducing yields and deteriorating the overall quality of the crop.

Current estimatesare that the coffee berry borer is responsible for more than $500 million in damage every year worldwide.

“The problem is it bores right into the cherry (and) goes right into the seed,” said Reimer.  “So it actually can ruin the actual coffee that needs to be ground up.”

The infestation in Kona stretches from Kainaliu to Honaunau on the West coast of the island.  Hawaii AG officials believe the beetle may have established itself several years ago due to the size and scope of the are that’s being affected.

“It's pretty obvious to us that it's not a brand new infestation just because the extent,” said Reimer.    

Identification of the coffee berry borer beetle was confirmed Wednesday by the U.S. Department ofAgriculture entomology laboratory in Riverdale, Maryland

Tommy Greenwell, who manages Greenwell Farms in Kealakekua and is the President of the Hawaii Coffee Association, says one of his coffee groves is infested butnews of the beetle’s arrival is just now reaching the coffee growing community.

“Most of the community doesn't know about it, it's just getting out now,” he told Khon2.  “What I would like the community to be aware of is it is in Kona and that we need to be aware and learn what to look for so we can try to minimize the spread of it.”

State agriculture officials will comb the Big Island inthe coming weeks to determine how many farms have been impacted by the troublesome pest, which never before had been found in Hawaii.

The focus right now is on the Kona region, which produces some of the most expensive and sought after coffee beans in the entire world and is known as the island’s “Coffee Belt.”

“The overall concern is how widespread is it actually inKona,” said Greenwell.  “(But) it's notjust the Kona coffee industry, it's the state coffee industry,” which he estimated is worth $60 million in annual revenues, when taking both crop yields and other related industries into account.

Greenwell told Khon2 there are roughly 600 coffee farms located on the Big Island and another 750 on Kauai, Maui, Molokai and Oahu.

It’s not known how the beetle landed on the Big Island,since Hawaii has strict importation rules that require all imported green coffee beans to be fumigated against pathogens and insects.  Coffee plants and plant parts are also restricted from being imported into the state under plant quarantine rules.

However there’s speculation among ag officials the beetle may have hitched a ride via coffeeseeds or migrant workers who help harvest the crop on the Big Island.

“It is a possibility because they do work in areas where this pest occurs,” said Reimer.  “They could of had a cherry or a bean in some of their gear or something when they came over.”

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

State ag officials say another insect or fungus could be introduced into Hawaiito help control or eradicate the coffee berry borer, however the required environmental assessment process could take years.

“Part of the problem in Hawaii is we have other related beetles thatare native beetles,” said Reimer, “so it's going to be a bit of a problem forus to find something that we feel comfortable with releasing.”

Greenwell urged state lawmakers to get involved in finding a possible solution as soon as possible, saying time was of the essence.

“Whether it's biological, chemical or whatever it is, theyneed to help us one way or the other,” he said.   

In a press releasethe chair of the Hawaii Board of Agriculture said staff at her department and the University of Hawaii had already begun researching various methods to control the beetle.

“This is terrible news for our important coffee industry,” said Sandra Lee Kunimoto.  “It appears that this pest has been here for several years and may be well established in some growing areas in South Kona.”

The Department ofAgriculture is telling farmers who suspect their groves may be infested by the coffee berry borer to take the following precautions: