COM 0212.129 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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¦ A federally funded program already exists for certifying almost all tropical flowers and foliage as pest-free. The program operates at no direct cost to the grower and allows producers and wholesalers to ship product to all 49 states. L-radiation serves no practical purpose for the cut-flower and foliage industries. ¦ A state funded program already exists for certifying the media of potted plants as nematode- free. The program operates at a minimal direct cost to producers and allows producers to ship potted plants to all 49 states. The cost of building benches to maintain plants nematode-free cannot be avoided even with the use of irradiation. There are low-cost hot technologies (steam sterilization of media), which are already operational and available to Hawaiian producers, therefore, irradiation offers no perceived benefits to the potted plant industry. ¦ Trends in consumption, as evidenced by the growth in the sales of organically grown products, indicate that consumers aze becoming increasingly conscious of the health hazards inherent in conventional farming and are willing to pay a premium for foods which are organically grown. To assume that irradiated fresh foods will be readily accepted goes against this observable trend. No bonafide market research studies exist to support the claim that consumer acceptance of irradiated fresh foods is excellent. Product demonstration, when conducted by a reputable marketing firm which would provide tracking sheets for all inventory sold, prices, locations, dates, time of day, and customer comments, is a valid market tool used to introduce new products and move surplus product out of inventory. It can not be substituted for a statistically significant survey of consumer preferences. ¦ To build an irradiation plant to pursue export niche markets for exotic tropical fresh fruits is not a sustainable marketing practice. Niche marketing requires extensive marketing expenditures in order to continually identify new markets and to stimulate demand. Flooding of niche markets can easily occur when other tropical fruit producing countries, who are lower cost producers, compete with Hawaiian products for our domestic market. Once irradiation has been trialed successfully on exotic tropical fruits, there is no international agreement to prevent transfer of this technology to other tropical countries which already have a comparative advantage in the production of exotic tropical fruits. ¦ [f irradiation of fresh food products in Hawaii could be done in a profitable manner, private enterprise would be willing to make the investment without financial supports from local government. Appropriation of public funds to support either plant construction or market promotion of irradiated product will not necessarily generate new, long-term employment possibilities on the E3ig Island. 1t may benefit only a few producers while increasing safety risks for County inhabitants. The risk to inhabitants will have to be mitigated with the introduction of emergency response measures which comes at a cost to the County. If the County is vested in the irradiation project and unanticipated events cause damage to private property or human health, the County could be held liable for damages. The inadequacies of the Geothermal Asset Fund should not be forgotten. 3