HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0728.053 2000-2002 Dear James Arakaki, Chairnean, Iiawaii County Council
As a Kona Coffee farn?er for the past 28 years, fulttiane the test 11 years,
Pm very concerned about the lack of understandang front the County
Councilregardang the issue of Resolution 236-02 ~t Co~nunication 728
from 1~Tancy Pisicchio. The message you are sending nee is that you will not
do anything in your power to protect a 170 year old industry in Kona.. This
is not just a coffee industry, it is the Kona Coffee industry, one of the
highest priced and highly savored coffees of the world. I stn not objecting
to science and ,
what they can do for us, i just don't want it if it destroys what is in
existence now and for the past 170 years. It is different for other ,
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agr&cultural products, as science is now needed for them to survive. @V'~~~"-~~nry n~~~
hope
our industry nevea~ gets to that position. k3ut if our coffee variety is changed
through GMO pollution, it will be adversely effected maybe toextinction.
~Ve all know how easy a. coffee plantation can fail (Pion~r
Coffee 1l~ll on Maui do you want ICona's coffee industry to follow the
same path ?Instead of one large corporate farm, you have b50 families that
will be out of a job.
I have attended educational seminars from the Dept. of t~gricultural to
explain what GM® foods are alfl about. How many Council Members have
seen thepresentation ?'They do explain the many benefits and successes
that have come about using the GM® breeding technology but also the
negatives. They
failed to give adequate responses regarding the cross breeding of plants
other than to explain how sonic farmers can no longer sell their crops
because of nearby farms of GMO producing crops that have cross
pollinated
their crops. The world wide acceptance of GMG foods is on record as
being unacceptable for re~any markets. vvhy would you allow for the
eflimination of anarkets for the benefit of unproven science ?
costs from harmful outside influences. Please don't turn your backs on your
constituents, that at this tigne, need your assistance in protecting our variety
of coffee and industry. Vote to support this resolution and
coananunication to send a clear message that you are willing to help sustain
the viability of growing traditional Kona cofi°ee in the Kona District of the
dig Island. Make the stand, that the t~gricultural Corporations take the
scientific varieties somewhere else wherc the experiment will not eflfect our
present industry.
Sincerely,
John Langenstein
P.O. fox 615
I~ionaunau, Iii 96726
808-328-8356 ~mm, rTo. ~
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