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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0728.043 2000-2002 °~~irn~n~- f~~ thia~ i~~~~ii ~®unt~ ~~tancil ai`atad t®a resolution Supporting a N9orators~rn on-the release and ~larating of Genetical0y engineered C®fFee in the ®~~tri~ts of forth end ®uth K®n~~-~ Sept 2002 ~t~e...._. - . gY• - ~,rs._._. ----_e_~..~.. Chatrf3lan Arakaki and council members: _ qtr My name is l~ichard Ha. I am testifying against the resolution to place a moratorium on the release and planting of GMO coffee in Borth and South Kona. The subject of Genetically modifia~d organisms is a controversial and emotional subject. if this resolution passes it will be picked up by the media and give the perception that we in Hawaii are-antigmo activists. Flight now in Africa millions of people are on the verge of starvation and some governments don't want to pravide. their people- with food. aid-from.the- tJ.S. because they are afraid that the food is genetically modified and is therefore unsafe.The World Food Org~niz~tion, American Medical.Association, American DB.etetBC s°~s.SOClatlon ~n.d our governmen4 organizations all say the food is safe. If millions of people can be allowed to starve to death because of food politics we think that it is not far fetched that if this resolution passes it will be used to further some peoples food ,politics agenda to the detriment of Hawaiian agriculture. represent Kea'au Sanana Plantation and Mauna Kea Sanana company. We employ more than 70 people. I started growing bananas more than 20 years ago with a $300.00 credit card and more guts than brains. We traded chicken manure from the family poultry farm for banana keiki to get started. We could not afford a tractor so we used my Toyota jeep. Because I know first hand how tough farming is I have a special place ih my heart for farmers and farm workers. We offer our workers profit sharing so they can feel tha4 they have something in it for themselves. We do not took upon our selves as big agriculture. We are organized like a bee hive or an ant colony. everyone has a function. My function is to be the outsidesguy to help insure-that outside--events~do not affect our profit sharing in a bad way. Our organization is more like 70 small farmers working together to - make a profit. We- su}~ply Harry and. David with .Hawaiian Apple bananas, They are th® high®st end gift basket company in the nation. We get a high price point for these bananas. We .also supply B°~~waiian Williams bananas to Japan. We gB~t a high price point for these and they pay for the air freight to Japan. These accounts are very sensitive to perception. A negative perception could cause sales to drop and cost our workers real money if it affects their profit sharing. ~ComBn. Noo file Nom~. Ref. ~o• Ref. Date SEP ~ 5 2002 I am not here uss~ we ~r-a eonv~ntional farmers against the organic farrrs~rss. have the highest respect for organic farmers. You have to be good to succeed with the limited amount of chemical toots-that organic farmers can use. We share many goals with organic farmers. In 1993, our farm was the first banana farm in the word to-be ~2ainforest Alliance _certif~ed. it is tl~~-,oldest and 9argast banana certifying organisation in the world. We may be the only farm on the dig IsBand to be food safety certified. We are 1PiiA certified sand are inspeected annually by CTAHJ~. We are certified by The food Alliance of Portland Oregon, which is a sustainable agriculture 3d party certifier. We are 1 of 5 finalists in the nation for the Patrick llAadden award. It will be given at a conference in ~ale'sgh E~orth Carolina next month. Patrick lUladden was the first director of the ~ustainabJe Agricultural ~tesearch and education (BARE) program. This is an award given to one farmer in tl~e nation who best exemplifies the objectives of the ~AI~E program. ley point is that I respect organic farmers and will do all I can to help them in the'er efforts to avoid pollen drift from C~IVI~ products. it is difficult to be an organic farmer and we need to help them when we can. Seven years ago the leaders of the Hawaii banana Industry Association asked CT'3~lHR to develop a banana that would be resistant to the Sanana Sunchy Top Virus: At that time they realised that genetically engineered bananas would be a controv®rsial subject. Sut, they decided that they would proceed anyeay. IVow, seven yearns later' the project is moving along and it-appears that we may _be -able to piggy back other disease resistant firaits onto the RSTi/ project. ®ur leaders were visionaries. beck then.. Instead. of being nay sayers they. chose. to be optimistic and go with science. They asked what is the most devastating disease of banana and dared to ask for someone to fend a cure. Today the cure is within sight. hut, each farmer reserves the right to use or not use the technology when it becomes available. Sut, to bring this project to fruition CTAHR may need private industry partners. We do not want people in the investment community to avoid Hawaii because it is perceived to be a hot bed of anti gmo activists as a result of this resolution. ~e^..ause of the nature of the ~l3T~V disease, the genetically engineered resistant plant vviN ben~ht small-farmers most. -This is because one must ki91 a radius of at least 50 feet around each infected plant. it takes only a few infected sites to put a small farmer out of business. IVIy point is that this is not a small versus big farmer issue. Its just a farmers issue. I°arming is too dcult for us to be fighting against each otfler. J°drm leaders should be trying to reach out to help each other. I'm also president of the state banana organi~tion and stand ready to help any farmer organisation that needs help. This is not a Milo vs Kona situation. I am only here today because I think that the resolution could .cause. a. situation that will hurt. my companies profitability. if this resolution passes it en~ill have no ford of lavm and cannot be enforced. hut, if it passes it will be portrayed in a sensational manner by the media and vviH leave the impression that Mavraii is a hot bed of anti gmo activists. 'his resolution should be defeated because there are limited if any benefits but many potential costs. Richard hla f~ . t~%/l . President Kea'au banana Plantation, Inc.