WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Hawaii congressional delegation is urging the U.S. Department of Agriculture to utilize its existing authority to provide direct assistance to Hawaii farmers affected by recent natural disasters.
“The dire situation that our farmers and producers are currently experiencing as a result of recent disasters cannot be overstated,” the delegation wrote. “We are already hearing reports of farmers, who employed multiple families and had millions invested in their agricultural business, having to lay off all of their employees and completely walk away from the agricultural industry because they lost all of their assets and cannot qualify for new loans to start over.”
According to the letter, Hawaii’s agriculture producers have been deeply impacted by weather and geological events this year.
In April, heavy rains fell on the state, with nearly 50 inches falling in a 24-hour period.
“These rains resulted in destructive flooding and prompted the issuance of a major disaster declaration,” the letter said. “This flooding event damaged or destroyed more than 760 homes and impacted over one-third of the state’s taro crop.”
Farms that have been impacted by recent disasters include those that contribute to Hawaii’s floriculture and nursery product industry, which was valued at $77.6 million in 2017 and provided as many as 2,500 jobs in 2012.
Other affected farms contribute to Hawaii’s vegetable crop industry, which was valued at $45.4 million in 2017 and contributed to nearly 2,000 jobs in 2012.
With respect to the volcanic activity on the Big Island, aside from farms being directly impacted by lava, other farms in the surrounding area have already shown losses due to volcanic smog, or vog, and acid rain, including those that produce coffee and macadamia nuts, which for the 2017-18 crop years are valued at $43.8 million and $53.9 million, respectively, and accounted for a significant portion of the nearly 4,400 jobs in 2012 reported for fruit and tree nut farming.
“Many aspects of Hawaii’s agricultural community have been greatly transformed by recent disasters, and our producers desperately need the maximum assistance practicable to get back on their feet and continue contributing to our agricultural industry,” the delegation said.
