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4 / ' r~,_ Lc-~.t~rx.c~ EXAMPLN:S OI' APPROPRIA. PUBLIC SPI'sNDING TO PROMOTE DIVL_-_,IFIF.D AGRICULTURE Below are some of my thoughts concerning appropriate public expenditures on technology, infrastructure, product development, and market promotion which both county and state governments should invest in to promote the growth of diversified sustainable/organic agriculture. ¦ Money for the commercialization of other appropriate non-nuclear post-harvest treatment technologies including, but not limited to, both cold and dry heat treatments for pest and disease control. These technologies have been tested at the research level, but are not commercially operational yet. Why not? The dollar estimate on eradication efforts has been concocted through the efforts of the EPIC (Exotic Pest Insect Committee) which has been a very dysfunctional organization. 1 would like to see a separate estimate on establishment of fruit lly-free zones. Actually, the only fruit fly we have in Hawaii which represents a threat to the southern mainland states is the Oriental Fnut Fly. I suspect there is no hard science which will back the quarantines on the other three fruit flies (Mediterranean, melon and Malaysian) in terms of their ability to establish on the mainland. The USDA APHIS regulations are not necessarily based on science which is clear when one compares international requirements with interstate restrictions. The Shunvil avocado case also clearly points to the fact that Hawaiian agriculture has been kept purposefully disadvantaged through the policital power of the California and Florida Fruit Growers Associations. There is a move to establish an internationally acceptable regulation since under GATT and NAFTA differential applications of these regulations will be viewed as unfair trade practices. Therefore, it is my opinion that Hawaii will be the proving ground for irradiation on tropical foods which, if passed by the USDA as an appropriate post-harvest technology for compliance with APHIS regulations, will lay the foundation for transferring food irradiation technologies to all tropical food producing countries. This will further disadvantage Hawaiian products directed at mainland and global fresh foods markets. ¦ Seed money for the establishment of prototype processed and value-added products (Dehydration, Juices, Baby foods, etc.). The image of Hawaii as a pristine aina with aloha is what sells product from Hawaii. If you look at the marketing of the cut-flower industry (I have '/a acre of oncidium orchids for cut- flower) you would realize that our only advantage over Thailand and Singapore (producing in China) is a sense of quality and aloha. It is getting increasingly difficult to keep mainland markets for tropical cut-flower open in light of the "dumping" of Thai and Singapore orchids on the U.S. market. There two counties sell their "firsts" to Japan and dump their "seconds" on the U.S. market. It may not actually constitute "dumping" in the strict economic definition since the costs of production faced by Thailand and Singapore are so diminutive compared to I lawaii's cost of production that they may actually he pricing product above their average variable cost. Still, the market lessons are the same. If processing of the tropical fruit products were done, we could develop products which could market the Hawaiian image and develop sustainable markets. This approach would require 13