HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0728.024 2000-2002 September 10, 2002
To: Nancy Pisicchio, Chair
Committee on Human Services and
Economic Development
Subject: OPPOSITION TO RESOLUTION 236-02
My name is Ruben Kay. I am a papaya farmer for almost 30 years. I have over 100 acres
of papaya farm in Puna area and I have 10 Puna people working in my farm. We are as
proud as the Kona coffee farmers about the good name and quality of our papaya. The
papaya industry on the Big Island is a big business. It supports "big time" those
businesses that sells fertilizers, chemicals, packaging materials, gasoline and many
others. It also provides huge volume of cargos for the boats and airplanes. When the
papaya ringspot virus attack the papaya industry, all papaya farmers felt that the world is
about to end for them. The industry was very lucky since a genetically engineered
papaya was already developed and that gives the industry hope for survival. There was
concerns in the industry regarding the image of the Hawaiian papaya. I was one of the
first few that used the GMO papaya because I want myself and the people that works in
my farm to survive. Now I keep producing the GMO papaya and selling them too.
I OPPOSE the resolution because I know that there are people that are against GMO and
they will make this resolution if it pass as their stepping stone to prohibit GMO in our
island in particular and to the State in general.
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