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HomeMy WebLinkAboutRES 525 Draft 01 1980-1984County of Hawaii-State of Hawaii Resolution No. szs ~~ WHEREAS, a depressed world market for sugar and the increasing flood of cheap foreign pineapple into the United States have made it necessary for the State of Hawaii to reduce its traditional reliance on sugar and pineapple for its economic stability; and WHEREAS, this shift in agricultural priorities is reflected in the new emphasis given to diversified agriculture in the State Plan and in the proposed State Agricultural Functional Plan; and WHEREAS, with the scheduled closing of the Puna Sugar Company in 1984 and recent cutback in acreages by other sugar companies on the Big Island, some of the best lands for deep soil farming are being taken out of sugar production and sold on the open market; and WHEREAS, inflated prices have enabled only the wealthy to acquire these lands while forcing most of the serious farmers to compete for the limited lease lands that are available; and WHEREAS, the Alish classification system classifies most of the land presently in sugar production on the Big Island as prime agricultural with approximately 50,000 acres as Class B and another 100,000 acres as Class C soil types; and WHEREAS, as more and more of these lands are taken out of sugar and sold, there are no assurances that the lands will be maintained in intensive agricultural use; and WHEREAS, only State ownership of the best prime agricultural lands would guarantee the preservation of these lands for intensive agricultural use. }~.~~ ' I O V NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAII that it requests the State Legislature to initiate action to have the State selectively acquire privately owned Class B and Class C prime agricultural lands that are scheduled to be taken out of sugar production by the plantations. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a master plan for the long-term development of these lands be prepared by the State and that priority consideration be given to the Hilo County Farm Bureau's request that a deep soil agricultural park be developed on suitable land. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that true copies of this Resolution be transmitted to Governor George R. Ariyoshi, Senate President Richard Wong, House Speaker Henry Peters, and Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation President, Ron Terry. Dated at Hilo, Hawaii, this 5th day of January 1983. INTRODUCED BY: rl~ O"V-~.c,y COUNCIL MEMBER, COUNTY 0 HAWAII . W//~ f eL~ Any( ~~r~~~4~-~~~rj ; ~~:~1~".v i) C COUNTY COUNCIL County of Hawaii Hilo, Hawaii I hereby certify that the foregoing RESOLUTION was by the vote indicated to the right hereof adopted by the COUNCIL of the County of Hawaii on _J anuarY...._S..r...._19.8.3 ....................................... ATTEST: COUNTY C ERK H RMAN & P DING OFFICER ROLL CALL VOTE AYES NOES A/E Dahlberg x De Luz, III X Domingo x Fujii x Hale x Kawahara x Lai x Schulte x Chr. Yamashiro x 8 0 1 Reference: M.B. No. CAD RESOLUTION N0. Jx°~ ~~ "7~ rv