CBB: Is Australia at risk?
Just over 2 kilometres from Australian shores in Papua New Guinea lurks the most harmful plague known to coffee producers – Coffee Berry Borer (CBB).
The beetle, known for its speedy reproduction, burrows into and destroys coffee beans. The pest has devastated thousands of crops throughout the world, and there’s fears it could pose a threat to Australia’s $100 million coffee industry.
The danger is that the beetle can spread rapidly, causing degradation of coffee quality or, worse, production losses of more than 80 per cent. When coffee is in the green bean stage, signs of CBB are evident as bean defects, which affect the whole coffee cup. Even a minor outbreak can spell trouble.
PNG was one of a few coffee-growing countries
