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<br /> BENJAMIN J. CAYETANO JAMES J.NAKATANI <br /> Governor '4 Chairperson, Board of Agriculture <br /> { LETITIA N. UVEHARA <br /> ®.y Deputy to the Chairperson <br /> n. ~.u~' <br /> Mailing Address: <br /> State of Hawaii P. O. Box 22759 <br /> DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE Honolulu, Hawaii 96823-2159 <br /> 1428 So. King Street FAX: (808)973-9613 <br /> Honolulu, Hawaii 96814-2512 <br /> April 23, 1997 <br /> Chairman James Arakaki <br /> Hawaii County Council <br /> 25 Aupuni Street <br /> Hilo, Hawaii 96720 <br /> Council Chairman James Arakaki and members of the council: <br /> My name is Lyle Wong. I am Administrator of the Plant Industry <br /> Division of the State Department of Agriculture. <br /> I am here to support the establishment of a post harvest <br /> irradiation treatment facility for Hawaii. <br /> For nearly 50 years, Hawaii has been under a Federal quarantine <br /> which prohibits the movement of most Hawaii grown fresh fruits <br /> and vegetables to U.S. mainland markets. Of the pests of <br /> quarantine importance, fruit flies are by far the greatest <br /> concern to U.S. agriculture. <br /> The quarantine restriction on the movement of Hawaii grown fresh <br /> fruit and vegetables, primarily because of fruit fly infestation, <br /> has been described as the single most important constraint on the <br /> growth of diversified agriculture in Hawaii. <br /> Few post-harvest commodity treatment protocols have been approved <br /> by USDA since the cancellation of ethylene dibromide fumigant in <br /> 1984. <br /> As a result, exotic fruits now coming into significant commercial <br /> production in Hawaii, and most abundantly on the Big Island, can <br /> not be exported to the U.S. mainland. <br /> The production of tropical fruit will remain a backyard and <br /> cottage industry in Hawaii if export markets remain closed to <br /> Hawaii. <br /> The opening of export markets, will give Hawaii growers an <br /> opportunity to expand into new lands and to take advantage of <br /> business opportunities in a growing U.S. market for high quality <br /> fruit products. <br /> Will consumers accept tropical fruit grown in Hawaii which has <br /> been treated with irradiation to meeting quarantine requirements: <br /> Cvwrn. Dio. ~`Z•t~ <br /> ~>e xo. ~ C IPG ' <br /> v Ref. To: Presenteu rv_i <br /> ---r-v-._.. <br /> Ret. Date APR_2 iyyz <br /> <br />