Tropicals from Hawaii at long last

Big Apple notes in the Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group that the Federal Register has posted a long awaited rule this morning that clears the way for shipment of more irradiated tropical fruit varieties from Hawaii. From the rule, effective immediately, also published here:

SUMMARY: We are amending the Hawaiian fruits and vegetables regulations to allow mangosteen, dragon fruit, melon, pods of cowpea and its relatives, breadfruit, jackfruit, and fresh moringa pods to be moved interstate from Hawaii under certain conditions. This action will allow the movement of these tropical fruits from Hawaii to the continental United States while continuing to provide protection against the spread of plant pests from Hawaii to the continental United States.

DATES: Effective Date: May 6, 2008.

Background: On November 15, 2007, we published in the Federal Register (72 FR 64163-64170, Docket No. APHIS-2007-0050) a proposal \1\ to amend the regulations to allow mangosteen, dragon fruit, melon, pods of cowpea and its relatives, breadfruit, jackfruit, and fresh moringa pods to be moved interstate from Hawaii under certain conditions. We also proposed to amend Sec. 305.31(a) to add irradiation doses for three plant pests: Coconut scale (Aspidiotus destructor), white peach scale (Pseudaulacaspis pentagona), and Copitarsia decolora (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae).

\1\ To view the proposed rule and the comments we received, go to http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/
main?main=DocketDetail&d=APHIS-2007-0050.

TK: How much potential volume? From an earlier risk assessment:

The amount of breadfruit and jackfruit produced for Hawaiian export to the United States is unknown; however, the combined production of special Hawaiian tropical fruits, which include abiu, atemoya, breadfruit, caimito, canistel, cherimoya, durian, jaboticaba, jackfruit, langsat, loquat, mangosteen, persimmon, poha, rollina, sapodilla, soursop, white sapote, and other fruits, was 141,000 pounds (70.5 U.S. tons) (USDA-NASS, 2004c). (Note, USDA-FAS (2003) states that sea shipping containers are 40-feet in length, and hold approximately 40,000 pounds (20 U.S. tons). The anticipated volume of breadfruit and jackfruit to be shipped from Hawaii to the continental United States is estimated less than 10 containers.