• An island within an island • What Kapaa bypass? • HB 280 important for coffee industry An island within an island On Tuesday the U.S. Open qualifying round was held at the Kukui’ula Golf Course. How many people besides
• An island within an island • What Kapaa bypass? • HB 280 important for coffee industry
An island within an island
On Tuesday the U.S. Open qualifying round was held at the Kukui’ula Golf Course. How many people besides the golfers knew about this? Why didn’t our friends at Kukui’ula do the neighborly thing and invite the general public as spectators? This type of friendliness makes one wonder whether 18-foot electrically charged fences will come next as a gesture of community involvement on the part of homeowners in this development.
While I recognize that exclusivity comes with money, it is so unlike the spirit of Kaua‘i. Why did our County Council allow this to happen? Perhaps it was some of the same money that accompanies exclusivity. To have allowed an island within an island to exist on Kaua‘i is an abomination.
Monroe Richman, Koloa
What Kapa‘a bypass?
I am a recurrent visitor to the North side of the island,which I love. It is not a new issue I know but why has the long-discussed bypass of Kapa‘a town not yet occurred ? Once again, I and many — both visitors and locals — have spent many minutes bumper to bumper crawling through the area. Certainly the businesses which would be impacted by such a diversion can’t have that kind of hold on the decision. Come on, decision makers, think of we the daily commuters and get that good bypass under way.
Douglas Corpron, Yakima, Wash. and ‘Anini Beach
HB 280 important for coffee industry
Coffee is one of Hawai‘i’s signature products. The legendary Kona origin has been part of the mystique of Hawai‘i for nearly 200 years. High-quality Hawaiian coffee is a unique export crop in that it is almost exclusively grown on small family farms that help to support resilient rural communities. However, the very success of Hawai‘i’s coffee has led to problems of counterfeiting that the coffee industry must address in order to protect the integrity of Hawaiian coffee in a global marketplace.
HB280 repealed mandatory coffee certification for quality standards while giving Hawai‘i’s valuable coffee origins more protection.
Deep budget cuts in 2009 set Hawai‘i’s Department of Agriculture on its heels, shrinking the department’s budget by 19 percent. Numerous positions were eliminated, including coffee inspectors. With the loss of all but one inspector position in Kona, the viability of the inspection service was crippled. This year’s growing season has been marked by increasing delays for inspection and certification. Coupled with impacts from coffee berry borers, severe drought, and rising shipping costs, the coffee industry has reached a tipping point. Delays of up to four weeks hurt the industry, crimping cash flows to farmers and producers alike, strangling commerce.
The certification process has become a restrictive bottleneck, damaging the industry it was intended to protect. Inspector positions have not been restored notwithstanding industry efforts. The pain will continue if a remedy is not found. Our primary competition is not within our borders, but overseas, where our wage and benefit burdens don’t exist. Long delays combined with relatively high production and shipping costs combine to make one of Hawai‘i’s signature crops less competitive in the global marketplace. Clearly a change is needed.
There are two aspects of coffee certification that inspections address: minimum quality standards and origin. Currently, in order to sell coffee as of Hawaiian origin, minimum quality standards must be met. Sophisticated buyers who pay the prices that Hawaiian coffees command typically request samples in advance. These samples are evaluated to a much higher standard than HDOA’s standards by panels of highly skilled, accredited cuppers with discerning palates. The ultimate arbiter of quality is the buyer. If coffee buyers are not demanding minimum quality certification by HDOA, HB280 will make quality certification voluntary. If they are, it would continue to be available on a fee-for-service basis.
Secondly is certification of origin. This inspection helps ensure that the coffee is accurately represented by the seller with respect to where it is grown. Maximum penalties are currently up to a $1,000 fine and up to one year in prison, or both, and enforcement lies with HDOA. These penalties are not having the necessary deterrent effect. A fine of $1,000 is less than the value of a single bag of quality Hawaiian green coffee and HDOA has never put anyone in jail.
Passage of HB280 makes false labeling (counterfeiting) of Hawaii-grown coffee a felony punishable by a $10,000 fine and up to five years in prison. The bill provides for enhanced recordkeeping and reporting and gives law enforcement statutory authority to enforce the laws. HB280 gives Hawai‘i’s valuable coffee origins more protection than they have ever had before; certainly more than what exists today. The ability for producers to opt out of minimum quality certification will reduce HDOA’s workload, eliminate delays and help rural locations that have been historically underserved by inspectors.
It’s important to note that Hawai‘i’s current certification rules do not regulate roasted coffee nor any coffee not moved out of the growing region. If the market can voluntarily regulate quality in these trading environments, the same is true at other levels.
While much of Hawai‘i’s coffee is produced on small family farms, large-scale production is also found on plantations located on Maui, Kaua‘i, Moloka‘i and O‘ahu. Given this diverse spectrum of producers, it’s uncommon when such a broad array of stakeholders agrees upon any issue. This is one of those landmark occasions when growers and producers, large and small, government and law enforcement agree on a solution. HB 280 is less costly, improves Hawai‘i’s competiveness, helps rural underserved locations and protects Hawai‘i’s valuable origins better than ever before.
That sounds like a change for the better.
Chris Manfredi, Ka’u (Big Island) Farm Bureau
