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economy, such as the visitor, retail and construction industries. There is also a demand f'or a greater number of personnel with technical and professional agricultural training. A related problem is the housing shortage for both minimum wage and seasonal labor. Competition from urban uses for agricultural lands has intensified. The protection of important agricultural lands, however, has long been a policy of the County. The relatively small population of the State and its isolation from overseas markets are limiting factors for the production of agricultural products for local consumption and export. The State Department of Agriculture, the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, the University of Hawaii -College of Tropical Agriculture, and the County have programs to assist the industry. The opportunities for the expansion of agriculture on the Big Island seem to be immense. The demand for fresh, locally grown products continues to grow as restaurants, grocery stores and hotels seek the highest quality products for their guests. Export products grown mostly on the Big Island, such as coffee, papaya, macadamia nuts, and flowers, also continue to expand. These commodities and others, such as ginger, guava and other tropical fruits, have potential for growth. There are also new high value crops which have the potential to be successfully cultivated. One such high value crop is Kava (Awa), a medicinal plant which has the potential to be a viable cash crop. Locally, small growers as well as a few large growers are producing Kava. Vanilla bean, cacao, nutraceuticals, hard wood forestry products, and medicinal plants are other types of high value crops that hold much promise for growth. The expansion of the agriculture industry can also be measured by the success of overcoming some of the restrictive governmental regulations that prevent many locally grown products from being exported to domestic or foreign markets. Concerns regarding the transmission of plant pests and diseases during export have or could be adequately addressed by current treatment or processing technologies. The development of new protocol and processing facilities for quarantine treatment will assure the further expansion of the agricultural industry. In order for Hawaii's cattle industry to strengthen, new techniques need to be developed for raising forage-tnished cattle to compete in the marketplace with grain-finished cattle. Hawaii cattle will then be able to finish grazing on island pastures and remain for consumption within local markets. Local producers also need to find new venues such as processed meats and pre-fabricated meals to market locally raised cattle. By creating a market niche for forage- finished beef, ranchers will be able to keep cattle in Hawaii, increasing production weights and revenues for the State economy. Forestry As one of the most heavily traded commodities on the global market and the tenth largest industry sector in the world, forest products grown in Hawaii may be able to capitalize on its central Pacific location, excellent growing climate, and the availability of vast expanses of former sugar lands. Hawaii's growth rates for forest products are among the fastest in the world. As a result, at least 24,000 acres are now being cultivated for eucalyptus production, with