Sending a question to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, reader P.T.T said: "Currently, there are some establishments that raise and breed coconut lizards for commercial purposes. I learned that coconut lizards belong to harmful and dangerous organisms in the agricultural sector.
I would like to ask, is business and farming for sale like that allowed or not? If not, is there any sanction to handle it?".
Regarding this issue, the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment answers as follows:
According to Clause 5, Article 13 of the 2013 Law on Plant Protection and Quarantine, the breeding of harmful organisms is prohibited, except for cases with written consent from the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development (now the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment).
If violated, they will be administratively fined from 3,000,000 VND to 6,000,000 VND as stipulated in point b, clause 4, Article 19 of Decree No. 31/2016/ND-CP dated May 6, 2016 of the Government stipulating administrative penalties in the field of plant varieties, plant protection and quarantine.
Coconut beetles are larvae (young worms) of the red palm bug species, with ivory white, plump, soft-skinned bodies, living in coconut trunks, jars, areca, and dates.
Although it is a harmful species to coconut trees, coconut duong is considered a famous specialty, rich in nutrients in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, often favored by people to be processed into many delicious dishes.
