HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0212.128 1996-1998
_ 9PR-23-97 WED 22:47 HAWAII DIVERSIFIED TECH. 808 966 6977 P. 01
AprtJ 74, I!lri7 '
Aaron Chuna;, Cllair
$pcrial nnP.ettng. Committee on Finance Cr'~~
County Council ~I-~-'
2ri Aupuni titrPr.t
Hilo. Hawaii 9a7~o ~97 APR 24 R~1 7 26
(7rCAn ,
HCRl Bus 41 1 G COUN ( ` ~
ISPTR,1, Hr oti74o COUNTY yr HAWAII
KU7 "recttmany AgAinst bath Resolutions 62 and 71.
Alul,a Mr. Cl,u,lk,
Rcccutly, there have hecn many statements mgarrling the rcanamics tend
uve,all impacts of an irradiation facility. 1 believe (_:nuncilmTn Chung iq carrcat fn
stating that we "have not seen a mal-ketin~ study that Clr.manciratr.a A Armand far
irradiated produce, and a recent cost-benefit analyci.a ahmving hrnv thr. fArtlity
AJOLlld benefit the COTr,mUntty.° 'I'hts .4tatP.R my l,avitian AgAtnAt t.hc expenditure of
:~'L million to C:annty fnndv far cirhrr thr. fttcihry or marketing/research into
promating irradiatcA rrarlnrrv fram Hawaii.
I''mm an ccanantir paint of Wrw thr. nan91ACTAt1an of b1111A1ng An 1YCAA1At1an
fa~-ility is at 1,rAt prcmArurc, AnA At wargt faming A dactAtan nn An unauppartcA
flnanatal analyslA. This does not even take tnto consideration any ncgattva
economic.:,ocial and health lmpacta of a potential accident (or even a "rumor" of
one) at a facility on our Island. Are the benefits worth the risk of plactng an
economically uncertain facility In our community when there are better choices
Ylere nuw7
"hnpurt replacement", which 1s the selective production of local fruits and
vebetuble~ Lu replace presently Import ones, has shown to be successful. This is
all cuuuuu~iually pruverl ~ulutiuu compared to the present export marketing
stratet(y, suppultccl Ly au,ue. I yuute from the Summary of the Economic Fact
Sheet #7 fol' the Delial t,uc„t of Abrlculture and Resource Economies. College of
T7opical Agrlcullurc, UHM May 1990 - "The ana),ysle eetlmates maximum potential
eco,tolulc ln,pacta of iu,pvrt replacement of selected vegetable3 and fruitq....
lmpo,t rcplacenrellt hay a„ iu,pact not only on the diversified agriculture industry
grctnr, bttt on the state's entire ccunuzny through Indirect and induced effects."
We arc avrrlaaki„~r otu- Isla,ld'a a„d State's al,lltty to produce its o~vn
products to replace impartv_ We have overlooked tills provcu acutur fur our
diversified agriculture 1nduAtricv in ~ rttth to support a process that !s
Cotnn. Dla 2 •,?•1
~b xo. FNS C1P
?of Presented F(~i
Ref. T1nte ~
A~_.~,-Q --19'7
APR-23-97 WED 22:47 HAWAII DIVERSIF=IED TECH. 80S 966 6977 p•02
rronoml nr
11~1(jC1pT'ovC:n, ~.i1r nl~likcla lle6d to be ittliillcrl -rr ;n our state f1r3 t.
And then we can look to export markets w1C11 an eye on ohjcciivr. market
examinatiOri based Ori 8tatlstlcal analysl9, ralhar llrarr Ilcarsay or niarkr.t studies
that are Insufficient or biassed.
The pruuiutlun of suatairlable, dlversitied atsricttltilrr thrmlgh appropriate
utilicati~n of ~peuial "Illohe" IIIaI'kets, value added prndurtA And grlccted
V C~Ctil~1C`J acid fi~ults (as state cl by tlic following i'rorrrdin~A) will fulfill OUr
County's need for a wider ccor'romic Uasc of productir.n and income aouree3. We
luill realize a greater economic benefit from a focus nn r~:igNng markets available
helY and now in our community and state. (Ines tl,rar am satisfied wr ran then
Innk in arrnrrrl a~;p~rt ag a ".second step" in one cronnmir rlAn.
Alen, the claim 1'iav hrrn made fnr irradiatinn A4 A prnrrAA for rXPorting
fl nwera And nrnAmrntAlA. /~rrording ttl r'M!'C'ed1n~A frAm th C' qth i-la\VAiI
Floriculture Industry Confrrrnrc, CTAHi"<, l1HM - only A few of the Fl~wrrA And
ornamental3 were undamaged by 1rrAdiatinn At rrqulmd df~AC rates. C)nly Rrd
Ginger and Green Ti Leaves survived with "nn gtgnifirant rffcct nn vAVr. life." either
maJor floral products are AdVCr9Cly CffCC1Cd by 11YAdiAtinn. Fo11A~r 9U Ch AA[
anthurlums. dendrobiuma, hchconiAA And pmtrAA weer damAgrd and their vA9r
life was reduced. The same research found that ginger proccs9rd by ilrAdtatton
did not show that sprouting was inhibited.
The unc;ertalnty of the after effects of Irradiation bring up many doubts about
the uvelal] cffCCtiveuess of this process. Details such as fresh fruit irradiated Atill
having liviri6 cb6s and larvae within it reduce even further irradiation AA A Wahlr
process !w aiverslriea ab~riculture export from Hawaii.
Iu uuriclusiuu. !t liar; been shown that the inCerest in an irradiation fArlltty
has Ueeu Uasea uu ruslred, bhort sighted and biased reasoning, we need to link Ar
the best and britthtest dltcrfratives in this time of appropriate economic
rlrvrlnPment. It is unwise to prvueetl with the investment of such significant
funds When thel•e arc Presently ~vcll proven rnarket processes that are availAhle to
uq in the C.ottnty and the Stale lur our economic success.
Sincerely,
E J'
OCCAn