HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0212.364 1996-1998 i!
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KOPIA-KOIIALA
I~ CIIAMBER
Of- COMMCRCC
--I
I~ May 15, 1997
TO THE HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL, THE HONORABLES ARAKAKI,
CHUNG, RAY SANTANGELO, YAGONG, SMITH LEITHEAD-TODD,
REYNOLDS AND TYLER
FROM THE KONA-KOHALA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
CONTACT: Marni Herkes, p. 808 329 1758, f. 808 329 8564
e: konakccC~gte.net www.kona-kohala.com
RE: POST HARVEST TREATMENT FACILITY
The Kona-Kohala Chamber of Commerce supports an
agricultural Post Harvest Treatment Facility on the Big
Island. we believe that the Post Harvest Treatment
Facility will help with two of agriculture's biggest
problems: lack of export capability and transportation.
A comprehensive facility for consolidation of goods,
storage, and processing is a necessity and will show a
commitment to the success of diversified agriculture. We
would also support research capabilities at this facility,
even to having something like the Hawaii Agriculture
Research Corporation and the UH Extension Services at this
facility.
Tropical and diversified agriculture contributions to our
economy are important and can be expanded, with more jobs
and more opportunities with this kind of facility. We
encourage an analysis of consolidation, marketing and
I research of diversified and tropical agriculture as an
economic generator for the Big Island. In the plantation
days we had large pieces of land with a few
owners/managers statewide. The Big Island has somewhere
around 5,000 jobs in this industry with almost as many
self-employed as hired. This is a whole new kind of
entrepreneur. We now must learn to assist these small
farmers to market and compete in a fast changing global
economy. We have, in the past two weeks, had the
privilege of hearing from Tom Barrack, Chairman and CEO of
I Colony Capital and Dr. Wall Osman, Bank of Hawaii
economist and specialist in Pacific area finance. Both of
these gentlemen stressed the importance of efficiency, of
cor,:petinc_ in a literally different phase of econorr.ic
I 1.~ ; ory, of ti-ie necessity to get on a new track ai:d ahead
of the curve in order to sun=,i've!!
FNV Ic~P
II ktef. S'resented~nG'
Ret. MAY 1 S 1997
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The chamber has investigated irradiation, since this has
been suggested as part of the facility, from a safety and
marketing point of view. We are satisfied that the
science is sufficiently sophisticated to build and
maintain a facility safely on the Big Island. we will
admit to some degree of skepticism about the capabilities
of a government agency (NRC) in regulation after our very
unfortunate experiences with the Department of Land and
Natural Resources in geothermal and monitoring the
management plan on Mauna Kea and the Department of Health
with geothermal. We hope this public forum, which the
community is funding to open the dialogue, will encourage
the developer to commit all their resources to facility
planning. We want a developer with deep pockets who will
commit to the best facility and regulation possible and we
want the NRC to be funded to the degree it needs to be to
regulate appropriately. We thought we had those things in
place with geothermal, but the minute the developer cries
poor, the regulations are ignored. We, want the Council to
put regulations in place to stay the course...and to pick
a developer (I understand there now are several
interested) who knows from the beginning that we will
"hold their feet to the fire" and maintain regulations on
the same level as when the facility was permitted.
We think the product is marketable and were very impressed
with some of the experiences of our tropical fruit growers
and other companies in selling irradiated fruit and think
they have demonstrated the economic viability of this
method. We also have heard from many of our chamber
members who are flower growers and look forward to using
this facility instead of the present chemicals.
We would rather a private developer build the components
of this center with the oversight by Hawaii County.
However, we do feel that the commitment of public moneys
to provide public forums, plan and market the facility
within county responsibility.
We need the council to "get out of the box" and commit to
agriculture development as one of the economic generators
for the future of the Big Island. What does this industry
need% Ask the industry...not necessarily individuals.
The ladustry is telling you ir. the plainest terms possible
that they need this facility...ard those of us who support
the industry are telling you also. Tourism should not be
the only business to be in on the Big Island. We need to
loe~k hr>w :ae car, make other economic generators more
etf_i~_:=llt, hoo: ~~~e ^_an encourage other enti`iec; join us
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