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. 2873 entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to establish a temporary task force on agricultural industry development to identify ways to:

Testimony in support of this measure was received from the Agribusiness Development Corporation, Department of Land and Natural Resources, Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism Office of Planning, University of Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, Waialua Farmers Cooperative, North Shore Farms, Life of the Land, and Hawaii's Thousand Friends.

Your Committee finds that the agriculture industry is a growing sector of Hawaii's economy. Diversified agriculture enterprises are gaining momentum by creating innovative products and opening new markets for Hawaii's agricultural industry. However, to truly propel the industry forward, an assessment of current state laws and practices is necessary to identify and remove any barriers hindering agricultural enterprises. Incentives must also be identified that assist the growth of Hawaii's agriculture industry. Your Committee finds that this measure brings together the relevant stakeholders to formulate the blueprint for building a strong and dynamic agriculture industry in Hawaii.

Your Committee envisions that the agricultural industry development task force will have focused discussions on issues and solutions directly relevant to the immediate needs of Hawaii's agriculture industry, including analyzing the current permissible uses within agricultural districts and the merits of allowing community and charitable events and self-picking of fruits to take place within those districts.

Your Committee has amended this measure by specifying that the agricultural industry development task force shall consist of twenty members.

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. 2873, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2873, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.