Honorable Calvin K.Y. Say

Speaker, House of Representatives

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Agriculture, to which was referred S.B. No. 3078, S.D. 2, entitled:

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this bill is to improve planning for Hawaii's agricultural industry by requiring the Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to conduct a study to identify elements that should be included in the Hawaii Agribusiness Plan.

The Hawaii County Farm Bureau Federation supported this bill. The Maui County Farm Bureau supported the intent of this bill. The Hawaii Agriculture Research Center opposed this measure. The Department of Agriculture, Agribusiness Development Corporation, LRB, and Hawaii Coffee Association submitted comments.

Although your Committee supports efforts to plan for the future of agriculture in Hawaii, other organizations have already developed plans to address this matter. For example, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation has developed and published a report entitled "A Strategic Plan for Hawaii's Agriculture," released in May 2004. The report evaluates the agricultural production,

marketing, and distribution issues facing Hawaii's agricultural industry and provides a roadmap to formulate a strategy to resolve these issues. Your Committee supports future legislative efforts to address whether the provisions of the bill are duplicative of existing plans for the agricultural industry.

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. 3078, S.D. 2, and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Finance.