Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 2673 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Department of Agriculture to conduct a program to reduce by fifty per cent the total amount of imported food purchased by Hawaii residents that could be purchased from locally produced sources.

Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from Waialua Farmers Cooperative, North Shore Farms, Hawaii's Thousand Friends, and comments on this measure from the Board of Agriculture.

Your Committee is aware of the Department's concern of whether the fifty per cent reduction addresses the volume of food imports or the value of food imports.

Your Committee finds, however, this effort towards self-sufficiency in production of agricultural products to be a highly desirable state and national security goal. As this bill moves through the legislative process the exact measurement of the fifty per cent reduction can be determined.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Agriculture that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2673 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.