The Kaua’i County Farm Bureau hopes to have paperwork in place to re-open the long-idled tropical fruit disinfestation facility near Lihu’e Airport as early as next month. That is, if Kaua’i papaya farmers can supply a steady enough supply of
The Kaua’i County Farm Bureau hopes to have paperwork in place to re-open the long-idled tropical fruit disinfestation facility near Lihu’e Airport as early as next month.
That is, if Kaua’i papaya farmers can supply a steady enough supply of fruit to make it worth everyone’s while to do so.
Roy Oyama, president of the Kaua’i County Farm Bureau, said incorporation papers are being worked on this week, and the group is awaiting lease documents from the University of Hawai’i, legal owner of the facility built with federal and state funds.
Because of fruit fly problems, all papaya bound for California and Japan markets must be treated to ensure no live flies, eggs or larvae exist on or in the exported fruit.
Wholesalers and brokers on both ends of the Pacific Ocean are aware of the tasty Kaua’i Sunrise papaya, with its distinctive pink fruit inside.
They are willing to move the fruit if they can get it on a consistent basis with consistent quality and quantity, Oyama said.
The facility has sat idle for most of this year, after Koloa Packing Company, a private entity, tried unsuccessfully to make ends meet running the treatment plant. The Kaua’i County Farm Bureau may benefit from a zero-dollar lease.
The main component of the disinfestation facility is a chamber which uses hot water to treat papaya in a six-hour process to kill any traces of fruit flies in or on the fruit.
