HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0604.035 1996-1998 HAMAKUA COUNTY FARM BUREAt1
P. O. BOX 1380
HONOKAA, HAWAH 96727
Testimony to the County Council's Finance Committee
Public Hearing on Hamakua Lands
Honokaa, Hawaii
August 28, 1998
Chairman Chung and Members of the Council's Finance Committee:
Thank you for providing us with this opportunity to discuss Resolution 267-98 here
in Hamakua. The issue involved regarding the proposed disposition of County
lands in Hamakua is of vital concern to the members of the Hamakua Farm Bureau,
many of whom have expressed their desire to expand their farms and ranches if
provided with an opportunity to acquire long-term leases on available public lands.
When the State Board of Land and Natural Resources considered the plan to lease
available State lands in Hamakua to the Oji Paper Company in October, we testified
against it for the same reasons we are appealing to you today. Give our people the
chance to utilize these lands for small family fazms and ranches before other
options aze considered. The State Land Board agreed and now the State lands are
being offered to local farmers from throughout the Big Island.
For reasons known only to himself, the Mayor has decided to ignore our pleas for
similaz consideration with regard to the 4,400 acres of County lands in Hamakua.
What we have instead is Res. No. 267, a plan for the disposition of former
Haznakua sugaz lands now owned by the County of Hawaii. The plan proposes to
trade off a114,400 acres of County land in Hamakua for about 20 acres of pazk
lands in Hilo, Puna and Kona and possibly another 200 acres of ag land in
Hamakua. The biggest benefactor for this give-away, of course, is Kamehazneha
Schools/Bishop Estate, who already owns close to 40,000 acres in Hamakua of
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Fite No._ hLG
Ref. 1b: P~Qranted~ FC.
$EP 0 ~ 1998
Testimony Before Council's Committee on Finance
August 28, 1998
Page 2.
which 24,000 acres are presently committed for pulp timber.
Some of you may interpret my remarks as being anti-forestry. For the record, the
Hamakua Farm Bureau supports all agricultural activities including forestry of all
kinds. We oppose, however, the use of public lands for pulp timber production and
prefer that available public ag lands be offered first to Big Islanders for family
farms, ranches, dairies and other agricultural pursuits. We have no quarrel with
such operations as Prudential's pulp timber plantation in Flamakua because it is on
private land. We would have a problem if public lands are involved, however.
The Hamakua County Farm Bureau offers for your Committee's consideration the
following alternatives to the Mayor's plan for the disposition of County lands in
Hamakua:
1) defer action on Res. No. 267-98 for a year and a companion
plan be prepared offering first refusal to local farmers and ranchers for
use of the land. After one year, Res. No. 267-98 can be reconsidered
and any land that remains unclaimed may be traded or sold by the
County . The lands selected for farming and ranching would be
dedicated to the State Department of Land and Natural Resources who
would be responsible for administering the leases.
2) dedicate a114,400 acres of County ag lands to the State.
We believe both alternatives are better than Res. No. 267-98. They not only retain
public ownership of all or a portion of the County lands, they eliminate the need for
the County to establish an agricultural leasing program. More importantly, they
would be acceptable to the people of Hamakua.
We respectfully ask that you give serious consideration to our suggestions.
Thank you.
,~~1„~
Robert Shioji, President