Local avocados headed to mainland after 1992 ban on exports
STAR-ADVERTISER / SEPT. 2012
Avocados are just one of the many items Paul Armitage and wife Stephanie grow on their farm in south Kona. Avocado growers in Hawaii are looking forward to the benefits of more lax federal export regulations that are allowing them to ship their products to the mainland.
HILO » Avocado growers in Hawaii are looking forward to the benefits of more lax federal export regulations that are allowing them to ship their products to the mainland.
The export of all Hawaii avocados to the mainland was banned in 1992 after a fruit fly species was discovered in an outbound shipment. Avocados could still be sent if they went through a fumigation process, but that can have an impact on taste, The Hawaii Tribune-Herald reports.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture decided to approve the shipment of Sharwil avocados in 2013, allowing only that one type of avocado to be sent to 32 states. The states are in northern regions where fruit flies are less likely to thrive.
The first shipment of 1,000 Sharwil avocados to the mainland arrived in Minnesota in March.
“It just took a little bit to get the things moving along,” Glenn Sako said of the time that passed between the regulation’s approval and the first shipment. Sako is an agricultural specialist with the Hawaii County Research and Development Department.
Kona avocado grower Brooks Wakefield said she and her husband, Bill, have been transitioning from cultivating Malama to Sharwil avocados to take advantage of the new regulations. Many other farmers have been doing the same, she said.
“This is very, very exciting for the whole state,” said Wakefield.
Sako said the goal is to have the first shipments to the mainland encourage more growers to start growing Sharwil. The shipping season for Sharwil is Nov. 1 to March 31.
“We want to be able to hit the ground running,” Sako said.
Two additional sample boxes of avocados have been sent to distributors in Philadelphia and New York.
17 responses to “Local avocados headed to mainland after 1992 ban on exports”
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Political experience tells us that restrictions are made by the States that protect their industries from competition and have a strong congressional delegation to get it done. We’ve never had a strong voice in DC.
What about shipment to Southern California? Papayas are GMO’s and some have inedible hard sections, not the smooth creamy texture?
Yes, they are GMOs and will kill you instantly.
San Diego county is the avocado capital of the U.S. Hawaii avocadoes are too pricey to compete there except maybe as exotic “gourmet avocadoes”.
Hawaii grown Avocados are the worlds best! Why would they only ship Sharwil when the Nishikawa’s, Berta Rodrigues, Kahaluu and the Yamagata’s are really great varieties of local Avocado. It seems like they are trying to hold back farming practices in Hawaii
at a time when much of our farmland is being developed. The local farmers need to be able to ship to the mainland because the local market could not consume the production fast enough. Just like you the farmers have to deal with the high cost of living in the islands and the jones act. So let us ship to all of the other 49states as well, of course after Ag inspection.
You’re paranoid.
buy mainland.
Local will be too expensive.
Surely you can’t be serious.
Export? Why not sell them here in Hawaii and lower prices.
Why don’t you start an avocado farm and do that? Until then, maybe leave business decisions and pricing of products to the farmers of said products…
The probably export them because they get a higher price and earn a higher profit which is good for the farmers. You can still get local avocados all over Hawaii.
They will probably be cheaper on the Mainland than here.
a lot of baby avocado’s and mango’s fell out of the trees this week because of the winds.
The big island sharwils are really good, but my friend has this tree that produces avocados that are more round that oblong. he calls them “butter pear” and those are really great.
Now the people on the mainland can see how big our buggahs are.
1000 avocadoes is like a drop of water in the ocean. The only way Hawaii avocadoes sell on the mainland or anywhere else is if they are marketed as “gourmet avocadoes” because their prices will be too high. That means the quantity will always be small. California grows 90% of the nation’s avocadoes. Then, Mexico is the largest avocado grower in the world and their prices are about the lowest of all.
I cried when my friend cut down his avocado tree last year……..they were 2 pound monsters, I’ll miss his free fruit.