Papua New Guinea authorities have implemented a ban on vanilla trade across the border with Indonesia.
The Wutung entry facility at the border between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea is an important trading access point. Photo: RNZ / Johnny Blades
According to an Agriculture Department official, the ban is only targeting illegal traders.
The deputy secretary of technical services Steven Mombi said these traders had been using the border access point between Indonesia's Papua province and PNG's West Sepik province.
The climbing price of vanilla has been linked to demand from Indonesia's Papua province.
PNG had to ensure it capitalises on its vanilla crops through the correct authorising process, Mr Mombi said.
The Post Courier reported him saying that illegal trade in vanilla was harming vanilla-producing communities in PNG.
The ban is only a ban in so far as it targets people without valid license to trade, he said.
"Instead of beans fully maturing they are doing all those illegal activities like boiling and polishing and putting wire into the beans and making the weight increase," Mr Mombi said.
He said the department was working to tighten the permitting process, which was previously conducted without proper control by an officer from the former spice board.
"What we have done is to redirect everybody, he (the officer) was issuing in the streets.
"We have now instructed that buyers go the Planning (Department of National Planning) office (in Port Moresby) and pay there, get a receipt and the license will be issued."
