There is still plenty of work to do in the field of invasive plants and insects in Papua New Guinea.
Sixty-two-year-old Pascal Pandau said this when he retired from work at the National Agricultural Research Institute, where he worked for more than 20 years.
Pandau hails from Lumi, West Sepik Province, and has been working on pests and invasive plants.
He chose agriculture as a career, and attended the then Popondetta Agriculture College.
He also received training from the Department of Agriculture in Port Moresby, and in Fisheries management from the University of Technology.
In 1982, his training was put to the test when he was assigned to assist biologists researching biological control for the invasive water hyacinth, the salvinia molesta.
This plant, which originated in Brazil, was introduced to the Sepik River in the 1970s.
The salvinia covered more than 500 kilometres of lakes, natural canals and tributaries, making it difficult and sometimes impossible for locals whose only access to basic services is through the river system.
Pandau worked with Samson Laup, who later became the vice chancellor of the University of Natural Resources and Environment; both assisted scientists from international organisations to find a solution to the problem.
Together they were able to bring the invasive plant under control.
Pandau continued this work, assisting in clearing salvinia from the waterways of the Ramu River in Madang and Central provinces.
In 1992, he transferred to Bubia Research Station and made his first overseas training on plant protection at Kastertart University, Thailand.
His study enabled him to develop a method to control and prevent an outbreak of locusts in the Markham Valley of Morobe Province following the 1997 drought.
After joining NARI, he was involved with insect pests, weed biological control, taro beetle control and NARI’s successful taro breeding program at Bubia.
Pandau shared so much information with the community in ‘Man on the Land’, a weekly radio program aired on Radio Morobe, to educate local farmers about agriculture and NARI technology information.
At his farewell, NARI’s Human Resource Talent Development Manager, Roy Gagau, commended Pandau for his years of service and contribution towards agricultural research and development.
(Pascal Pandau inspecting corn for presence of the new insect pest known as Fall Armyworm, which was recently detected in PNG)