Ban on taro from Samoa remains

An American Samoan ban on imported taro from neighbouring Samoa has entered its seventh week.

The territory's director of agriculture, Filifa'atali Mike Fuiava, told a hearing in the Fono that the Samoa Ministry of Agriculture had still not received test results from Germany from samples of plants that had been infected with an unidentified disease.

Filifa'atali said until Samoa provided an analysis of the samples sent to Germany, the ban on taro would continue.

He said if an analysis was not forthcoming from the Samoa government then his officials would make a trip to see the problem for themselves.

Meanwhile, inspectors have been visiting local plantations to check whether the disease exists in the territory.

RNZI reports data is still being collected and authorities have not confirmed if local taro crops are affected.