Heavy vog and lighter rain took a moderate toll on Hawaii vegetable and melon growers last year, according to a new report. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that commercial vegetable and melon production statewide last year generated $39.8 million in revenue for farmers, down 8.5 percent from $43.5 million the year before.
The report, released Friday and produced with the assistance of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture, said heavy vog negatively affected some crops, as did lighter irrigation than normal in some areas. Overall, rainfall for most growing areas approached normal levels, the report noted.
Head cabbage was the most produced vegetable crop by weight, with 6.7 million pounds produced last year. That was down from 9.7 million pounds the year before.
Cucumbers generated the most farm revenue in the vegetable and melon category, representing $4.3 million in sales. That was down from $4.8 million the year before.
Crops that had major production increases last year were kale and head lettuce. Farmers harvested almost twice as many acres of kale — 60 acres last year compared with 35 the year before — which boosted revenue to $1 million from $660,000. Acres of harvested head lettuce more than doubled to 90 from 40, which boosted revenue to $2.7 million from $690,000.
Home sales down after 3 months of gains
WASHINGTON >> U.S. home sales slid in August by the most since January as tight supplies and rising prices discouraged potential buyers.
The National Association of Realtors said Monday that sales of existing homes fell 4.8 percent from the previous month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.31 million, the lowest level since April. That’s down from 5.58 million in July, which was the highest in more than eight years.
Solid job growth and low mortgage rates have boosted sales 6.2 percent in the past year. But the median home price has increased 4.7 percent during that time, more than double the increase in average hourly pay. That is likely pushing more homes out of reach for many buyers.
Macy’s plans to hired 85,000 for holidays
NEW YORK >> Macy’s Inc. plans to hire about 85,000 seasonal workers for temporary jobs ahead of the holidays to meet expected higher demand. That is about the same as a year ago. The announcement comes as other retailers announce their hiring plans ahead of the holiday season. Many companies boost their workforces temporarily to meet increased demand. The pace of hiring at a retailer can serve as an indicator of expectations for the holiday shopping season, which accounts for 20 percent of the industry’s annual sales, according to the National Retail Federation.
HTC booted from blue chip index
TAIPEI >> Taiwan’s stock exchange has removed smartphone maker HTC from its index of blue chip companies, reflecting the dramatic decline of a business that once ranked as Taiwan’s No. 1 brand and dazzled consumers with some of the world’s first Android handsets.
The exchange removed HTC from its FTSE TWSE Taiwan 50 index Monday after the company’s market value declined below the level required for inclusion in the market benchmark. The index lists Taiwan’s 50 biggest companies, which together represent 70 percent of the market’s value.
It’s a humbling fall for a company that once sold more than 1 in 10 of phones worldwide, received plaudits for innovation and represented Taiwan’s ambitions to spawn its own globally recognized electronics brands.
Digital song downloads slip further
LOS ANGELES >> Digital downloads of songs continued to fall out of favor with Americans in the first half of the year, while free and paid music-streaming revenue kept growing, even without much of a bump from the launch of Apple Music. That’s according to midyear sales figures released Monday by the Recording Industry Association of America. They show overall music industry revenue fell a half-percentage point to $3.2 billion.
Revenue from paid subscriptions to services like Spotify and Rhapsody grew 25 percent to $478 million, while revenue from free services like Pandora grew 22 percent to $550 million. Streaming revenue as a whole surpassed $1 billion in the first half of the year for the first time.
ON THE MOVE
Central Pacific Financial Corp., parent company of Central Pacific Bank, has appointed the following members as directors of the boards of CPF and CPB:
>> Wayne Kamitaki is chief executive officer of Maui Varieties, a holding company, which through other subsidiaries operates and owns Ben Franklin Crafts stores as well as Ace Hardware stores in Hawaii, Washington state, Oregon and Las Vegas.
>> Saedene Ota is a creative director and owner of Sae Design, a visual marketing and a graphic design agency headquartered on Maui. Ota is also manager and principal owner of Maui Thing, an apparel company.
Live Well at Iwilei, an adult day services center created by the operators of Kahala Nui, has hired Lynn Wong as its director. She was previously an administrator of Aiea Heights Senior Living (Adult Residential Care Home) as well as a home care registered nurse with Maluhia Hospital. Wong also served in various nursing positions with Ka Punawai Ola, PACE Hawaii at Maluhia Hospital and Kuakini Medical Center.
