High time in Hawaii

Andy Nelson of The Packer has this story about a proposed rule that would allow more irradiated tropical fruit varieties from Hawaii into the U.S.

Andy writes:

On Nov. 14, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced its plans to open up mainland markets to irradiated mangosteens, dragon fruit, breadfruit, jackfruit, melon and fresh moringa pods grown in Hawaii, said spokeswoman Melissa O’Dell.The USDA will receive comments on the proposal until Jan. 14 before making its final decision, O’Dell said.In January, mangosteens will start coming into the U.S. in volume from Thailand, following a July USDA ruling.In 2006, the USDA gave the green light for irradiated mango shipments from India.Karen Caplan, president and chief executive officer of Los Angeles, Calif.-based Frieda's Inc., expects the approval process to be expedited, given the outrage among Hawaiian growers who have been trying to crack the U.S. market for years — only to see Thailand get approved ahead of them.“Once Thailand got approval, Hawaiian growers went ballistic,” she said. “I don’t know when fruit will begin coming in, but I would imagine that the USDA will work very quickly on this.”


From the Honolulu Star Bulletin of Nov. 21

"It's about time," said Bob Hamilton, a tropical fruit farmer and distributor on the Big Island. "We have mangosteen growing here. It's unfortunate that now Thailand can sell it on the mainland and we can't."
Hamilton said mangosteen from Central America is selling for more than $16 a pound in retail outlets in New York City. Farmers in Hawaii get about $6 a pound wholesale for mangosteen sold in local markets, he said.


TK: I was at Bob Hamilton's farm a couple of years ago and I can say he was anxious then about getting USDA approval for shipments of the mangosteen to the U.S. It is an episode like this one - when exporters from other countries seek and receive phyto approval ahead of a longstanding request from Hawaii - that stokes the ire of domestic growers who perceive the USDA seems more eager to facilitate imports than clear the path for U.S. produce.