STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2822

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE: S.B. No. 2478

S.D. 1

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2006

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Ways and Means, to which was referred S.B. No. 2478 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT MAKING AN APPROPRIATION FOR AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND MARKET DEVELOPMENT,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to appropriate funds to the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation to conduct agricultural research and promote agricultural market development.

Your Committee finds that the agriculture industry continues to play a vital role in Hawaii's economy and accounts for approximately $2,400,000,000 in produce, products, and value-added commodities. The industry also employs more than thirty-eight thousand people and has seen a doubling in farm revenues to $370,900,000 in the fast growing diversified agricultural sector. The success of the agriculture industry is attributable to a dedicated and hard working farm community that has taken an aggressive and dynamic approach to competing in the global agricultural market.

Continued growth and success, however, is dependent upon research and market development. In the past, the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation has partnered with the Hawaii Agriculture Research Center, the University of Hawaii's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, and the Department of Agriculture on many research and market development projects.

This bill would allow the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation to continue to coordinate research and market development projects to allow the agricultural community to compete in the world market to maintain and expand its market share.

Your Committee has amended the bill by changing the appropriation to an unspecified amount for purposes of furthering discussion.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Ways and Means that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2478, as amended herein, and recommends that it pass Third Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2478, S.D. 1.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Ways and Means,

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BRIAN T. TANIGUCHI, Chair