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H 1 CA HAWAII ISLAND CONTR~iCfiQ~R6',-ASSOCIATION cis.-- 494 C KALANIKOA STREET HILO, HAWAII 96720 TELEPHONE (808) 935-1316 '97 fiflY 6 Pfd 12 Q6 COuP~:- yypday, May 7, 1997 COUNTY 0= !-;AWAiI Honorable Chair and Committee Members It is the position of The Hawaii Island Contractors' Association that food irradiation is the one singularly important way to enhance the safety and quality of the food supply, and to open access to a lucrative U.S. mainland consumer market For Hawaii Island's farmers.. The Hawaii Island Contractors' Association encourages the government, food manufacturers, food commodity groups, and qualified professionals to continue working together in educating consumers about this safe and proven technology. The Hawaii Island Contractors' Association supports the measure to fund the development of the post harvest treatment by irradiation for two distinct reasons: 1) Economics -With the demise of our island's sugar industry, our growers, large and small, are becoming more competitive. Hawaii Island growers are working together and sharing information that they receive from agencies like the University of Hawaii and the Hawaii County's Research & Development office. Growers presently are developing a diverse array of agricultural products to maintain our agrarian way of life. These hard working people, adjusting to the recent economic changes, face their greatest challenge, and that is -getting their product to a larger market outside this state. To protect mainland growers from fruit fly infestation, Hawaii growers are required by law to use a post harvest treatment. The market requires that Hawaii growers' produce must be affordable and of high quality. The growers' families require that they realize a profit from their work. Irradiation is the only post harvest treatment to meet all three requirements. To just maintain the economy we presently have, we need the irradiation process. To expand our markets, we also need the irradiation process. Irradiation will open other markets that can't get enough of our unique products. Profit will be dependent on the amount a farmer can grow and how many markets he can access for his products. Irradiation can be the road to the American Dream for many of our island farmers. We can all win with irradiation! Other ideas have been considered over the years, but the truth is there is only one solution for making Hawaii grown products marketable on the mainland and in other regional markets. 1 coma. Ilo. 2~t. 331 n>a xo. Zbt Prwsense. ~ 1Re[. n•~• MAY 0 7 X81