American Samoa taro has the same virus as Samoan taro that caused the territory to ban imports from Samoa last year.
According to the Chief Executive Officer of the Samoa Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Tilafono David Hunter, they have a copy of the test results on the American Samoa taro from Hawaii.
Tilafono told KHJ News the American Samoa taro samples which were tested have the same virus that Samoa taro has so we don’t know why they have continued the ban.”
After the two Samoa talks last December a joint communiqué announced that a decision on the American Samoa ban will be made by March 2018.
Last week the local Director of Agriculture Filifaatali Mike Fuiava relayed this to the House Agriculture Committee.
But according to Samoa’s Agriculture CEO Tilafono, so far there has been no indication from the territory that the ban is being lifted.
He told KHJ News, “We have had no official notification the ban has been lifted so we will wait and see if any changes are forthcoming.”
