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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0212.085 1996-1998 . Hawaii Tropical Fruit Cooperative P.O. Box 1390 KPa akekua, HI 96750 (808) 322-0935 fax (808) 322-0728 The Hawaii Tropical Fruit Cooperative wholeheartedly supports passage of Hawaii County Ordinance 62. We have pledged to use the irradiator facility for 100% of our fruit requiring treatment for fruit fly disinfestation. We have five members on the Big Island and one member on Kauai. We have over 350 acres of fruit trees planted. We buy and market fruit from another 20 growers. We are all small family farms. Most of our plantings are relatively new and as such we are currently harvesting a very small amount of the eventual production from those plantings. Our fruit crops include lychee, rambutan, Tongan, starfruit, atemoya, mango and white pineapple. Our estimate for production in 1998 is 1.5 million pounds. Our coop members sold over $250,000 of just rambutan alone this season. Our group represents the leaders in the development of commercial planting of these new crops but by no means are the only persons in Hawaii with plantings or interest in planting these crops. For over fifty years fruit fly has been the cause of a barrier between Hawaii and the mainland preventing Hawaii from selling its fruit to our own country. For fifty years teams of talented entomolgists and scientists have tried to devise ways to overcome this problem. No treatment is available for our fruit products that does not adversly affect fruit quality and marketability, except irradiation. Our commercial test shipments have demonstrated irradiation technology is an effective treatment for rambutan, lychee, papaya, starfruit atemoya, and citrus. A post harvest fruit fly disinfestation facility located in Hawaii is vital to any future expansion of our industry. Our members and many new potential exotic fruit growers are waiting for a clear signal that a treatment facility will be built before making any new plantings. If a facility were to be built our coop members planting acreage would double within a year of the announcement. We are in a classic catch 22. No one is willing to plant crops needing disinfestation treatment until a treatment facility is built ~~j Gtmin. bio. ``'2'12 • F51N Nn. Fnp ~~1P Presented I~ C APR 2 4 1997 R.nt. Unte What is being propo~~d is a small batch processing facility to be initially operated on k s_ngle eight hour shift. This plant would have the capacity Co handle up to 30 million pounds of prodti~ t by adding more shifts and or cobalt. Our group does not have the volume of product now to justify the capital resources required to build such a facility, although our current planting should produce at least 3.5 million pounds of fruit at orchard maturity. Papaya from independent growers is the through put volume needed to make this work. The industry standard production for one acre of papaya is 28,000 of fruit. Already a group of experienced independent papaya growers who have leased 200 acres of land for papaya production have pledged that potentia15.5 million pounds to go through the irradiator. Additionally, a large land owner in Puna has 170 acres leased to independent papaya growers and another large land company on the Hamakua coast has 891 acres leased to papaya farmers with an additional 550 acres reserved for papaya leases. Taken together that has the potential to produce over 45 million pounds of papaya. There are many more acres in papaya production not accounted for here. Ten million pounds at $.10 per pound would cover break-even throughput revenue requirements. Our cooperative has a tradition of self assessment to be applied to marketing expenses and we would encourage that practice for all users of the Hilo irradiation facility to generate funds for promotion expenses. This Hawaii County Finance Committee has the power to set the dollar figure in the ordinance and direct how that money should be spent. This is a unique opportunity in Hawaii County for us to take advantage of a partnership offer with a industry leader in a proven technology which is a known solution to our fruit fly quazantine problem. We recommend that this council find a way to work with this company and the agricultural community to make this technology available to Hawaii's farmers. We do not have all the answers as to how to do that, but encourage that you vote for this ordinance and set aside some money to make this facility a reality. Two sound options which will provide the maximum benefits to the broadest community interests while also meeting the partnership needs of the current proposed contractor are 1.)an independent consultant to insure only the safest facility built to the highest standards be constructed and 2.) purchasing research time at the facility which will attract University and ARS scientists to study irradiation applications for other agricultural commodities. Jra w~`^ and no one will put in a treatment facility until the plantings are sufficient to justify building the facility. It is governments role to provide an environment where private enterprise can thrive. It is also common place for the government to develop the infrastructure so that commerce is facilitated, like roads, ports and airports. In Hawaii the government has assisted in agricultural infrastructure like water systems and the vacuum facility for Waiamea farmers. We believe government has a critical role in attracting the infrastructure needed to permit access to the markets in our own country. We are currently using irradiation technology for fruit fly disinfestation treatment in Chicago. The process works extremely well for our fruit. We have shipped 34 test shipments to date, each involving 1 to 3 LD3 airfrieght containers. After treatment, the fruit has been transported and sold in New York, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, California, Washington, Texas and Florida. The treatment and transportation costs can run as high as $1.85 per pound. Iri addition to cost, transportation is a key bottleneck. Fruit must be flown on direct flights to Chicago which has Iimited capacity and subsequent flights often are delayed resulting in deterioration of fruit quality. These are two of the main reasons we need an irradiator located here in Hawaii. Our experience is that, given the chance to make a purchase decision, consumers want our products. This is evidenced by reorders from every store and wholesaler carrying our products. The fact that they are treated with irradiation is not an issue to them. What is important is that the produce looks and tastes fresh. Using irradiation as a process allows us to deliver just that, tree ripened high quality produce. The only marketing problems we have experienced is from organized targeted opposition initiated from Food and Water, Inc. Their tactics included jamming wholesaler or retailers phone lines with threatening calls as well as pickets. They have gotten individual chains and distributors to cave in because the small volume we represent at present isn't perceived as worth the negative publicity. However, United Fruit and Vegetable Association, who represents most of the nations produce wholesalers, has already come to the defense of its members and is willing to participate in an organized national response to the terrorist tactics of Food and Water, Inc.