Bill Text: HI SB2069 | 2018 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relating To ulu.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 8-0)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2018-03-20 - Passed Second Reading as amended in HD 1 and referred to the committee(s) on FIN with none voting aye with reservations; none voting no (0) and Representative(s) Ing, C. Lee, Souki excused (3). [SB2069 Detail]
Download: Hawaii-2018-SB2069-Amended.html
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THE SENATE |
S.B. NO. |
2069 |
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TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2018 |
S.D. 1 |
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STATE OF HAWAII |
H.D. 1 |
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A BILL FOR AN ACT
RELATING TO ‘ULU.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:
SECTION
1. Hawaiian breadfruit (‘ulu)
has a long history in Hawaii as an important and consistent food source. This illustrious history includes a period
during which breadfruit played a significant role in providing the annual
production of millions of pounds of nutritious food that sustained the
population across the islands. Research
has shown that Kona alone produced fifty thousand to sixty thousand tons of
breadfruit per year in what is now the coffee belt. Breadfruit is believed to have arrived in the
Hawaiian islands approximately seven hundred years ago. Since its introduction to the climate and
soil environment of Hawaii, breadfruit has consistently contributed to and
enhanced all aspects of Hawaii, including traditional diet, culture, and
lifestyle. Its distinctive beauty and
mythical origins, historical, cultural, religious, and social significance, and
the diversity of its forms in traditional methods of food production have all
contributed to the legacy of breadfruit in the Hawaiian heritage and
culture. This significant presence and
abundance illustrates how breadfruit flourishes in modernity as the
contemporary manifestation of Hawaii Nei.
Several
factors over the past decade have demonstrated that breadfruit consumption and
research are growing in relevance, including the availability of large numbers
of breadfruit trees, the expansion of the gluten-free market, the confirmation
of value in breadfruit by-products, and the increasing market movement toward
locally grown food. For the first time
in the technological era, breadfruit has the potential to become a major
commercial crop, even while remaining closely connected to traditional
Hawaiian, Polynesian, Micronesian, and Melanesian values.
Significant
global resources exist for breadfruit in Hawaii, including the largest
conservation effort of breadfruit agrobiodiversity by the National Tropical
Botanical Gardens, significant product research and development by the
University of Hawaii, Pacific-wide relationships and development efforts
through The Pacific Business Center Program at the Shidler School of Business
Administration, and cooperative development structures and processing
infrastructure as seen in the Hawaii ‘Ulu
Producers Cooperative. Dozens of other
small breadfruit producers around the State make diverse products such as
chips, hummus, pies, and baking mixes, and a growing number of restaurants,
distributors, and retail vendors are carrying breadfruit products.
Despite
the increase in breadfruit development in the State, the growth of markets and
infrastructure needed to utilize the projected ten- to twenty-fold increase in
fruit production is in a precarious state. Substantial investments into breadfruit
research and development have occurred, but additional research and market
support are required to develop sustainable breadfruit production methods,
postharvest handling, processing and refinement, manufacturing methods,
scalable flour mill design, packaging, market product development and testing,
distribution, and regional sustainable capacity for supply for breadfruit products.
Without additional support, the growth
of farm production could quickly undermine the development that has been
accomplished. In order to realize the
vast potential of breadfruit to serve as a major contributor to local food and
food security, support for the burgeoning industry is needed.
A
conservative estimate of $2,000,000 per year farm value, e.g., two million
pounds of fruit per year, is anticipated within five years based on trees
currently in the ground that have yet to be productive, with additional
economic development coming from processing, marketing, and distribution of the
fruit. The global gluten-free market was
valued at $14,940,000,000 in 2016 and is expected to grow at a compound annual
growth rate of 9.3 per cent from 2017 to 2025, illustrating the potential
market for breadfruit. Furthermore, the
profit projected from processing and marketing the breadfruit flower as an
organic insecticide is estimated to exceed the million dollar mark. This profit may be due to the far more potent
nature of the breadfruit flower that contains a natural tri-chemical compound
combination that is such a powerful repellant that the breadfruit outperforms
its synthetic competitors.
The
economic development potential for the processing, refinement, packaging, and
exporting of breadfruit products for the state and national market is
substantial considering the general employment and economic benefits to the
State.
‘Ulu
is a long-lived, easy to grow, productive, nutritious, starchy staple crop that
can continue to contribute to environmental, social, and economic health of the
State for generations. As everyone who
has tasted extraordinary dishes made from ‘ulu
knows, there is now high potential for ‘ulu
to contribute to healthy diets and food security ideals based on locally grown
foods. In fact, the State has already
begun to realize some of the vast, potential benefits of ‘ulu. The department of education recently placed
an order so that all three hundred of Hawaii's public schools will have ‘ulu
for at least one meal.
The
purpose of this Act is to make an appropriation for the research, development,
marketing, and conservation of breadfruit.
SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 for the research, development, marketing, and conservation of breadfruit as follows:
(1) Developing breadfruit businesses that have demonstrated significant product sales;
(2) Performing research that is directly supporting farmers and industry development; and
(3) Providing ancillary support such as tree production, marketing, and public education.
The sum appropriated shall be expended by the college of tropical agriculture and human resources at the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.
SECTION 3. This Act shall take effect on July 31, 2150.
Report Title:
Agriculture; Breadfruit; ‘Ulu; Appropriation; University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources
Description:
Appropriates funds for the research, development, marketing, and conservation of ‘ulu. (SB2069 HD1)
The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.
