COM 0212.394 1996-1998 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Testimony before the Hawaii County Council on Bill 62 ~ ~~:~«-V May 20, 1997 /J~ia.Q Ronald S. Fujiyoshi Aloha members of the Hawaii County Council. My name is Ronald Fujiyoshi and I am a missionary of the United Church Board for World Ministries (UCBWM). Part of my assignment as a missionary of the UCBWM I serve as the lay pastor of the Ola'a First Hawaiian Church in Kurtistown. The UCBWM is the missionary arm of the United Church of Christ (UCC). The United Church of Christ has approximately 1.7 million members throughout the United States of America, Puerto Rico and Hawaii. In Hawaii the United Church of Christ is led by the Hawaii Conference United Church of Christ headquartered in Honolulu. In Hawaii, 122 churches are related to the Hawaii Conference UCC with a membership of approximately 19,000. On the island of Hawaii, there are 29 churches ielating to the Hawaii Conference UCC with a membership of approximately 2,700 members. I do not testify on behalf of the other members of the United Church of Christ. I just mention the connection to the United Church of Christ so you can have a clearer picture of the denominational affiliation and the fellowship to which I am related. Although our denomination is not one of the largest, it does exert influence. To give ari example, our church, the United Church of Christ, was mentioned in Public Law 103-150, the so-called Apology Bill. I want to testify in opposition to Bill 62, 1. After listening to testimony at both the Finance Committee and the First Hearing on this Bill, I am not convinced, and I doubt the majority of the members of the United Church of Christ a~ew?be~s living on th a Big Island, are convinced that irradiation of fruit using Cobalt-60 is safe. There are clear dangers of radiation exposure to humans and to the environment. It seems clear that irradiation will destroy vitamins and nutrition in fruits. The long-term consequences of eating irradiated fruits are not known. 2. It seems tc benefit only a certain segment of our society who are raising tropical fruits for export. Two Saturdays ago my daughter sold lychees from our tree at the farmer's market. She sold 48 four pound bags of lychee in one hour. I heard that lychee in Honolulu was selling for $10 a bag. There is a market for lychee here in Hawaii and the small farmer has no problem selling his or her lychee. I also understand that on July 24, 1996, the U.S. Department of Agriculture proposed to allow lychee from Hawaii to enter the United States in North America if it is inspected and found free of lychee fruit moth and then undergoes a hot water treatment for fruit flies." There is no need for irradiation and irradiation will benefit only the large tropical fruit growers, mainly the rambutan growers. 3. Irradiation does not help to make Hawaii more self-sufficient in food. Spend any money in making the Big Island, which could feed all of Hawai i, self-sufficient in food. Assist the farmers to grow taro; there is not enough poi to meet the demand. 4. Countries like Japan will not buy irradiated fruit and may even stop buying Cantu. PJo.~