HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.R. NO.

168

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2003

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE RESOLUTION

 

SUPPORTING THE MANY BENEFITS OF HAWAI`I grown CHOCOLATE TO OUR STATE AND DIVERSIFIED AGRICULTURE.

 

 

WHEREAS, the State of Hawai`i has a propitious opportunity to develop a new industry in the growing, cultivating, processing, and shipping of Hawai`i grown chocolate to the mainland United States and the rest of the world; and

WHEREAS, theobrama cacao, otherwise known as chocolate and translated into English as the "Food of the Gods", was introduced to the Hawaiian Islands in 1830; and

WHEREAS, cacao has been used for centuries as a medicine; and

WHEREAS, cacao has high concentrations of theobromine, a purine alkaloid that has both a calming effect on the brain and an energizing effect on the nervous system; and

WHEREAS, cacao has also been found to stimulate the appetite and to reduce fatigue; and

WHEREAS, the cultivation, processing, and production of cacao and chocolate is a global business that generates $45 billion dollars worldwide and $15 billion dollars in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Hawai`i's environment and climate position it as the only state in the United States that can commercially grow cacao; and

WHEREAS, the U.S. Agricultural Department forecasts high yield and high quality cacao bean cultivation in Hawai`i; and

WHEREAS, the exceptional quality and unique taste of Hawai`i grown cacao will result in higher market prices and demand; and

WHEREAS, Hawai`i grown chocolate can become a unique connoisseur delicacy that can provide agricultural diversity in the State; and

WHEREAS, unique branding and market positioning will help align Hawai`i's exotic image with quality chocolate; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2003, that this body supports and recognizes the many benefits Hawai`i grown chocolate could bring to our economy through job creation and revenue generation in diversified agriculture, production, and processing industries; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chair of the Department of Agriculture and the Board of Agriculture.

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

Chocolate; diversified agriculture