HONOLULU — A proposal headed to the state Senate could help Hawaii double its locally grown food supply by 2020.
HONOLULU — A proposal headed to the state Senate could help Hawaii double its locally grown food supply by 2020.
The state currently imports about 92 percent of its produce, livestock and dairy products. Some lawmakers would like to see the state become more self-sufficient.
Doing so would make food costs less susceptible to fluctuations in fuel costs, increase agricultural diversity across the state and provide a boost to the local economy, say proponents of House Bill 2703, which was advanced by the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Wednesday.
In testimony to the committee, farmer Penny Levin pointed out, “We are about 2,500 miles from the next source of food. As fuel costs go up, so will food costs.”
She urged lawmakers to pass the bill and support other legislation that can help grow Hawaii’s agriculture industry.
Nancy Davlantes, of Kaneohe, offered the committee enthusiastic support for the bill. “Hawaii cannot pass up this opportunity to encourage an agricultural renaissance here,” she stated.
Citing University of Hawaii and U.S. Department of Agriculture reports, Davalantes added, “Replacing just 10 percent of our food imports with locally grown produce would give a nearly $200 million boost to our economy, create more than 2,300 jobs and raise more than $6 million in state revenues.”
These statistics had been offered by the Hawaii Food Policy Council at a Senate Agriculture Committee hearing in March.
At that hearing, board member Ashley Lukens noted that only 8 percent of food purchased in Hawaii is locally grown.
“That situation leaves us dangerously vulnerable to supply disruptions and global economic volatility,” she said. “It is the responsibility of the state to ensure that Hawaii can grow a sufficient amount of food, particularly in the event of a national disaster or an increase in transportation and thus imported food costs.”
House Bill 2703 requires the Department of Agriculture to measure and analyze the food grown and sold in Hawaii annually. The department would then work with the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism to identify key food commodities and help increase their market shares.
The bill will likely be voted on by the full Senate next week.