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<br /> . <br /> Hawaii Tropical Fruit Cooperative <br /> P.O. Box 1390 KPa akekua, HI 96750 <br /> (808) 322-0935 fax (808) 322-0728 <br /> The Hawaii Tropical Fruit Cooperative wholeheartedly supports <br /> passage of Hawaii County Ordinance 62. We have pledged to use the <br /> irradiator facility for 100% of our fruit requiring treatment for fruit <br /> fly disinfestation. <br /> We have five members on the Big Island and one member on <br /> Kauai. We have over 350 acres of fruit trees planted. We buy and <br /> market fruit from another 20 growers. We are all small family <br /> farms. Most of our plantings are relatively new and as such we are <br /> currently harvesting a very small amount of the eventual production <br /> from those plantings. Our fruit crops include lychee, rambutan, <br /> Tongan, starfruit, atemoya, mango and white pineapple. Our estimate <br /> for production in 1998 is 1.5 million pounds. Our coop members sold <br /> over $250,000 of just rambutan alone this season. Our group <br /> represents the leaders in the development of commercial planting of <br /> these new crops but by no means are the only persons in Hawaii <br /> with plantings or interest in planting these crops. <br /> For over fifty years fruit fly has been the cause of a barrier <br /> between Hawaii and the mainland preventing Hawaii from selling its <br /> fruit to our own country. For fifty years teams of talented <br /> entomolgists and scientists have tried to devise ways to overcome <br /> this problem. No treatment is available for our fruit products that <br /> does not adversly affect fruit quality and marketability, except <br /> irradiation. Our commercial test shipments have demonstrated <br /> irradiation technology is an effective treatment for rambutan, lychee, <br /> papaya, starfruit atemoya, and citrus. <br /> A post harvest fruit fly disinfestation facility located in Hawaii <br /> is vital to any future expansion of our industry. Our members and <br /> many new potential exotic fruit growers are waiting for a clear signal <br /> that a treatment facility will be built before making any new <br /> plantings. If a facility were to be built our coop members planting <br /> acreage would double within a year of the announcement. <br /> We are in a classic catch 22. No one is willing to plant crops <br /> needing disinfestation treatment until a treatment facility is built ~~j <br /> Gtmin. bio. ``'2'12 • <br /> F51N Nn. Fnp ~~1P <br /> Presented I~ C <br /> APR 2 4 1997 <br /> R.nt. Unte <br /> <br />