HDOA NEWS RELEASE: Interim Rule Restricts Movement of Coffee from Maui and Hawai`i Island
Posted on Nov 20, 2020 in Latest News, Newsroom
HONOLULU – On Nov. 17, 2020, by interim rule, the chairperson of the Hawai`i Board of Agriculture (board) designated Maui and Hawai`i Island as areas infested by coffee leaf rust (CLR), Hemileia vastatrix. This authorizes the Hawai`i Department of Agriculture (HDOA), Plant Quarantine Branch (PQB) to restrict the movement of coffee and other CLR carriers from Maui and Hawai`i Island. The interim rule goes into effect today, Nov. 20, 2020.
CLR is a devastating coffee pathogen and was first discovered in Sri Lanka in 1869 and can cause severe defoliation of coffee plants resulting in premature defoliation and greatly reducing photosynthetic capacity. Depending on CLR prevalence in a given year, both vegetative and berry growth are greatly reduced. There are multiple long-term impacts of CLR, including dieback, resulting in an impact to…
