Hawaiian pineapple production falls |
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Wed, 14 Feb 2007 14:00
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HONOLULU (AP) - Fresh pineapple production and sales last year hit their lowest levels in Hawaii since the state began keeping records on the industry more than half a century ago.And the outlook for 2007 is even worse following Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc.'s closing of operations on Oahu.Last year's crop was estimated at about $75.5 million, down from $79.3 million in 2005, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service in Hawaii.That drop came despite a 5 percent increase in the fresh market farm price to $630 a ton compared with $600 a ton the previous year.Pineapple growers in Hawaii produced a total of 188,000 tons of fresh pineapples, down 11 percent from the previous year's crop of 212,000 tons.Meanwhile, fresh Hawaii pineapple sales dropped from 106,000 tons in 2005 to 99,000 tons last year. And sales of processed pineapples dropped 16 percent to 89 tons in 2006.Much of the blame for the islands' third consecutive year of declining pineapple production and sales is placed on competition from foreign producers and local production cutbacks.A total of 139,000 acres were being used to grow pineapples in Hawaii during 2006. But 100 acres fell out of pineapple production last year, the NASS reported.The agency's numbers did not include 5,000 acres dropped by pineapple producer Del Monte in November, which will likely bring another drop to future local pineapple industry production numbers.'It'll be down,' said Mark Hudson, director of the NASS field office in Hawaii.Hawaii's pineapple production record was set in 1955 at 1.5 million tons. The state's highest sales total for pineapples was $107.8 million set in 1991.Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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Hawaiian pineapple production plummets 