COM 0212.334 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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B ENJAMIN J. CAYETANO ••a JAM ES J.NAKATANI Governor s'. Chairperson, Board of Agriculture 4 LETITIA N. UVEHARA ~ Deputy to the Chairperson Mailing Address: State of Hawaii P. o. Box 22159 DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Honolulu, Hawaii 96823-2159 1428 So. King Street FAX: (808) 973-9613 Honolulu, Hawaii 96874-2512 iii---777 May 7, 1997 ~~1.81,1,~Ct~ (~-~i~ Chairman James Arakaki Hawaii County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Council Chairman James Arakaki and Members of the Council: My name is Lyle Wong. I am Administrator of the Plant Industry Division of the State Department of Agriculture. I am here to support the establishment of a post harvest irradiation treatment facility for Hawaii. For nearly 50 years, Hawaii has been under a Federal quarantine which prohibits the movement of most Hawaii grown fresh fruits and vegetables to U.S. mainland markets. Of the pests of quarantine importance, fruit flies are by far the greatest concern to U.S. agriculture. The quarantine restriction on the movement of Hawaii grown fresh fruit and vegetables, primarily because of fruit fly infestation, has been described as the single most important constraint on the growth of diversified agriculture in Hawaii. Few post-harvest commodity treatment protocols have been approved by USDA since the cancellation of ethylene dibromide fumigant in 1984. As a result, exotic fruits now coming into significant commercial production in Hawaii, and most abundantly on the Big Island, can not be exported to the U.S. mainland. The production of tropical fruit will remain a backyard and cottage industry in Hawaii if export markets remain closed to Hawaii. The opening of export markets, will give Hawaii growers an opportunity to expand into new lands and to take advantage of business opportunities in a growing U.S. market for high quality fruit products. xQ _~.IZ. ~3y B11e 2(0. FND ICI ~Q~ Ref. Tot Prosented ~~urlCi / T ^'k- Ret. Dste I IMY 0 Z ~BB7