Pest risk management describes the process of identifying and implementing phytosanitary measures to manage risks to achieve Australia's ALOP, while ensuring that any negative effects on trade are minimised.
The conclusions from pest risk assessment are used to decide whether risk management is required and if so, the appropriate measures to be used. Where the unrestricted risk estimate exceeds Australia’s ALOP, risk management measures are required to reduce this risk to a very low level. The guiding principle for risk management is to manage risk to achieve Australia’s ALOP. The effectiveness of any proposed phytosanitary measure (or combination of measures) is evaluated, using the same approach as used to evaluate the unrestricted risk, to ensure it reduces the restricted risk for the relevant pest or pests to meet Australia’s ALOP.
ISPM 11 (FAO 2011b) provides details on the identification and selection of appropriate risk management options and notes that the choice of measures should be based on their effectiveness in reducing the probability of entry of the pest.
Examples given of measures commonly applied to traded commodities include:
options for consignments – e.g., inspection or testing for freedom from pests, prohibition of parts of the host, a pre-entry or post-entry quarantine system, specified conditions on preparation of the consignment, specified treatment of the consignment, restrictions on end-use, distribution and periods of entry of the commodity
options preventing or reducing infestation in the crop – e.g., treatment of the crop, restriction on the composition of a consignment so it is composed of plants belonging to resistant or less susceptible species, harvesting of plants at a certain age or specified time of the year, production in a certification scheme
options ensuring that the area, place or site of production or crop is free from the pest – e.g., pest-free area, pest-free place of production or pest-free production site
options for other types of pathways – e.g., consider natural spread, measures for human travellers and their baggage, cleaning or disinfestation of contaminated machinery
options within the importing country – e.g., surveillance and eradication programs
prohibition of commodities – if no satisfactory measure can be found.
Risk management measures are identified for each quarantine pest where the risk exceeds Australia’s ALOP. These are presented in the ‘Pest Risk Management’ section of this report.
Fiji’s commercial production practices for ginger 1.6Assumptions used in estimating unrestricted risk
The following information on the existing commercial production practices in Fiji has been taken into consideration when estimating the unrestricted risk of pests likely to be associated with ginger produced in Fiji.
DAFF Biosecurity officers travelled to Fiji in September 2007 to observe the commercial production practices for ginger, examining the cultivation and harvesting methods, proposed pest control, and packing and transport protocols to produce and export ginger to Australia. This information forms the basis for estimating unrestricted risk in this Import Risk Analysis.
1.7Ginger production
Ginger ( Zingiber officinale) was introduced to Fiji in the late 1800s and cultivation was expanded into commercial production for export in the 1950s (Bridge 1988). Fiji has an ideal climate for growing ginger, with rainfall exceeding 3000 mm annually, accompanied by a prolonged hot season (Buresova and McGregor 1990).
The major ginger production area in Fiji is the Suva peninsula on the island of Viti Levu, particularly the Tamavua and Colo-i-Suva districts. Ginger production has also spread to the Sawani, Nabukaluka and Viria districts of Viti Levu. The area under cultivation is around 1000 hectares (Ravindran and Nirmal Babu 2004). There are two main types of ginger farms in Fiji: the small subsistence holdings like those of the Waicoba village in Navosa and the highlands of the Naitasiri province (Figure 3.1); and the commercial farms on the flat lands of the Navua district (Figure 3.2). In the highlands, the steep slopes provide well drained soils that are favourable for ginger production. However, the land relief and the small size of the holdings for the subsistence farmers make it uneconomical to employ mechanised assistance (Buresova and McGregor 1990).
 Figure 3.1: Ginger farm in the highlands of Naitasiri
 Figure 3.2: Commercial ginger production in Navua
Fiji currently exports fresh ginger to a number of countries including New Zealand, Canada and the United States for direct retail in supermarkets. Exports of fresh ginger from Fiji to the United States have declined after China was granted access to the US market, resulting in a significant reduction in ginger prices.
The importation of fresh ginger for further processing is currently permitted into Australia, subject to specific import conditions. The import requirements stipulate that the imported fresh mature ginger is to be processed commercially in a Quarantine Approved Premises by drying, crystallisation, pickling, or preservation of the ginger in brine. Fiji also exports processed ginger (preserved in sugar or brine, powdered ginger etc.) to Australia.
1.7.1Cultivation practices
Ginger is an annual crop that is planted in the spring, and usually grown in rotation with cassava and taro (Buresova and McGregor 1990). Both cassava and taro are poor hosts of parasitic nematodes such as Radopholus similis, Rotylenchulus reniformis and Meloidogyne spp. (ACIAR 2010), so this practice helps suppress pest nematode populations. In addition to the crop rotation, a fallow period of about six months is usually included in the program. Ginger production is very labour intensive, with much of the land preparation and harvesting done by hand (Buresova and McGregor 1990). The ginger planting materials (or seed ginger) are usually selected and sourced on-farm from the previous crop, particularly in the highlands. Sourcing planting material from previous crops lessens the risk of pests and diseases being introduced from infected farms to new areas. The rhizomes are cut or broken into seed pieces, each around 60-70 g, with at least two eyes (Figure 3.3).
The ginger seed material may be dipped in hot water (51 °C) for ten minutes to kill any nematodes that may be carried on the seed material. The seed material is packed in onion bags to facilitate heat penetration and effective treatment. However, since the cessation of the government assistance that supplied gas for the hot water treatment, and the apparent absence of diseases affecting the planting material, some farmers have bypassed this process.
The seed pieces are left to dry for a few days before planting, further reducing the risk of introducing nematodes to the soil. Shrivelled seed material is discarded. Seed pieces may be dipped in fungicide (5 g/L Sundomil) for five minutes before they are taken for planting. Ideally, the planting should take place between August and September before the onset of the wet season. The ginger is planted in furrows around 90 cm apart and 10 cm deep.
Figure 3.3: Seed ginger material ready for planting
The flat land commercial farmers harvest their ginger early (as immature or baby ginger) for processing into products such as ginger in brine. This minimises losses due to rotting, because the soils can become waterlogged in the lowland production areas. Immature ginger is harvested within 6 to 6.5 months. Mature ginger from the highlands is harvested within 10 to 12 months (Buresova and McGregor 1990). The ginger rhizomes are carefully lifted out of the soil by hand using digging forks, minimising damage and breakage. The ginger is transported from the field to the packing house in wooden crates.
1.7.3Packing house
At the packing house, the ginger is weighed and quality assessed prior to being stacked on wire mesh for washing. The ginger rhizomes are washed individually with water using a high pressure hose to remove soil and external contaminants (Figure 3.4). They are then transferred on the wire mesh to a drying area where the rhizomes are left to dry for around 14 days (Figure 3.5). The roots are removed before the rhizomes are graded and inspected, and any pieces unsuitable for export are discarded. The ginger is packed into boxes (Figure 3.6) and stored in refrigerated shipping containers at about 10 °C.
Figure 3.4: Washing of ginger rhizomes
Figure 3.5: Ginger drying on wire mesh after washing
Figure 3.6: Packed ginger ready for export
Fresh mature ginger, produced and prepared as described above, is currently exported to New Zealand and United States without additional treatments.
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