STAND. COM. REP. NO. 957

                                   Honolulu, Hawaii
                                                     , 1999

                                   RE:  H.B. No. 1632
                                        H.D. 3




Honorable Norman Mizuguchi
President of the Senate
Twentieth State Legislature
Regular Session of 1999
State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Economic Development, to which was
referred H.B. No. 1632, H.D. 3, entitled: 

     "A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO AGRICULTURE,"

begs leave to report as follows:
     
     The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to
develop new markets and expand existing markets for Hawaii's
papaya industry.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure
from the Department of Agriculture and the University of Hawaii
College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources.

     Your Committee finds that before the devastation of the
papaya industry by the ringspot virus, papaya production in 1993
was 64,000,000 pounds.  After a decline of nearly fifty percent,
production is now recovering rapidly with the new transgenic
papaya, and should return to peak levels by 2002.  Marketing to
regain and develop new markets is critical to the rebirth of this
Hawaii crop.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your
Committee on Economic Development that is attached to this
report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose
of H.B. No. 1632, H.D. 3, and recommends that it pass Second
Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.


 
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                                   STAND. COM. REP. NO. 957
                                   Page 2


                                   Respectfully submitted on
                                   behalf of the members of the
                                   Committee on Economic
                                   Development,



                                   ______________________________
                                   LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair

 
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