No more canned Hawaiian pineapple

[Miulang]

Maui Land and Pineapple (http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070501/NEWS/705010361)has announced that they will shut down the last canned pineapple factory that exists in Hawai'i and will instead concentrate on growing "boutique" fresh pineapple and producing pineapple juice. The shutdown will cause several hundred people to lose their jobs (most will be offered other positions within the company) but at least pineapple will still be grown on Maui rather than having the land be turned into more resorts or housing.

After more than a century, it's really really ironic and sad that due to the high cost of production, even the people of Hawai'i will have to buy canned pineapple from places the Philippines or Taiwan or Thailand instead of Hawai'i.

Miulang

[timkona]

But it's lucky for us that we have minimum wage laws, and insurance laws, and workers compensation laws, and unemployment insurance, and employee health insurance, and a whole bunch of other rules and regulations that makes it real hard to compete in the WORLD market for agricultural labor.

Judging by all the 'protective' laws that have been created to kill the AG industry, I would say that somebody wants the industry to die in America. Likely all the folks who think they are 'protecting' the poor workers.

The irony is not lost on me. Do you get it, Miulang??

[alohabear]

Maui Land and Pineapple (http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070501/NEWS/705010361)has announced that they will shut down the last canned pineapple factory that exists in Hawai'i and will instead concentrate on growing "boutique" fresh pineapple and producing pineapple juice. The shutdown will cause several hundred people to lose their jobs (most will be offered other positions within the company) but at least pineapple will still be grown on Maui rather than having the land be turned into more resorts or housing.

After more than a century, it's really really ironic and sad that due to the high cost of production, even the people of Hawai'i will have to buy canned pineapple from places the Philippines or Taiwan or Thailand instead of Hawai'i.

MiulangI like fresh better from the backyard anyways. Just like sugar, you knew the end was coming.

[Miulang]

The irony is not lost on me. Do you get it, Miulang??
Of course I see the huge irony. If there had been no sugar or pineapple industries in Hawai'i in the first place, Hawai'i would be a very very different place. Many many families were able to have better lives because of the paternalistic nature of the early plantations.

Miulang

[oggboy]

The memories of working at the cannery. The screaming fore-ladies yelling from the platforms to the trimmers. The deafening noise of the machines during peak seasons. The smell of pineapples in the air and on your clothes. Sad to see it end but sooner or later was bound to happen. Plenty cheap labor in foreign countries. That`s why ML&P is selling the land at Honolua. They no longer need it...........

[joshuatree]

Is there any agricultural product that Hawaii still has an advantage? Aside from some organic farms or mom & pop farms, isn't ag in Hawaii pretty much dead?

[helen]

There is coffee on the Big Island and Kauai but even then they don't use that much land or employ a lot of people the way sugar and pineapple did.

And I don't think it is an irony that people in Hawaii are buying canned pineapple from other places, assuming the source of the pineapple came from those places. It would be truely ironic that the pineapple in the can that was canned in a far away place acutally came from Hawaii.

[Surfingfarmboy]

Is there any agricultural product that Hawaii still has an advantage?

I'd have to put a vote in for seed corn. I haven't seen production numbers for seed corn production in HI lately, but from what I remember, it was one crop that actually had a projected annual increase in acres of it grown.

I planted quite a bit of seed corn grown in HI during my recently-ended winter farming down in PR.

Edit: I googled in "Hawaii+Seed+Corn+Crop", and as I suspected, I was lead to links showing how the seed corn crop in Hawaii has been increasing year after year. I'd say the seed corn crop in Hawaii almost borders on huge now, in terms of its importance to the US ag industry.

[Miulang]

Is there any agricultural product that Hawaii still has an advantage? Aside from some organic farms or mom & pop farms, isn't ag in Hawaii pretty much dead?

If you're talking monoculture (cash crops) that's probably true. Even the Hawai'i orchid industry (http://www.hawaii.gov/hdoa/add/research-and-outlook-reports/Orchid%20Outlook%202004.pdf)is appealing for help from the feds because more orchids are now being imported into this country (even to Hawai'i...those dendrobium orchids that you find in your mai tai probably came from Thailand), and some of the leis that are sold at the airport might have flowers from Asia.

Cheaper foreign competitors make it difficult for Hawaii growers to compete on a mass level.
Competition to Hawaii’s potted orchid industry is both direct—from producers on the U.S. mainland—and indirect—from those located overseas such as the Netherlands and countries in Southeast Asia. Over the past 5 years, Southeast Asian competitors have aggressively targeted the U.S. market. Taiwan, which specializes in Phalaenopsis, is the largest exporter of orchids in the world and is the major exporter of orchids to Japan, China and the U.S. Thailand, noted for Dendrobium, is the second largest foreign supplier to the U.S. Together these two countries account for roughly two-thirds of U.S. potted orchid imports

Miulang

[Hi Tone]

Is there any agricultural product that Hawaii still has an advantage? Aside from some organic farms or mom & pop farms, isn't ag in Hawaii pretty much dead?
Monsanto Co. and their corn seeds

[joshuatree]

What about Koa? Sandalwood? :)

[Surfingfarmboy]

Is there any agricultural product that Hawaii still has an advantage? Aside from some organic farms or mom & pop farms, isn't ag in Hawaii pretty much dead?

If you're talking monoculture (cash crops) that's probably true. Miulang

Based on the numbers listed in the report you can read at the link below, I don't think this Hawaii cash crop is anywhere near being dead...rather, it's one crop that is growing, prospering, and vital to the world's ag industry.

Hawaii Seed Crop (http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:o93Vim6uzWEJ:www.nass.usda.gov/hi/speccrop/seed.pdf+Hawaii%2Bseed%2Bcorn%2Bcrop&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us)

[Miulang]

Based on the numbers listed in the report you can read at the link below, I don't think this Hawaii cash crop is anywhere near being dead...rather, it's one crop that is growing, prospering, and vital to the world's ag industry.

Hawaii Seed Crop (http://72.14.209.104/search?q=cache:o93Vim6uzWEJ:www.nass.usda.gov/hi/speccrop/seed.pdf+Hawaii%2Bseed%2Bcorn%2Bcrop&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us)
Well yeah, if you want GMO crops (I don't).:mad:

Miulang

[Surfingfarmboy]

Well yeah, if you want GMO crops (I don't).:mad:

Miulang

I'm not debating the pros and cons of GMO crops, and whether you personally agree with them or not. (And the fact that our Hawaii is a leader in this industry). I'm just merely pointing out that the seed industry is one cash crop that is far from dead in the state's ag industry.

[kamuelakea]

After more than a century, it's really really ironic and sad that due to the high cost of production, even the people of Hawai'i will have to buy canned pineapple from places the Philippines or Taiwan or Thailand instead of Hawai'i.Miulang

The only irony is that the success of the Plantation Asian Unions ultimately ensured the failure of the businesses which held their jobs.

[Miulang]

The only irony is that the success of the Plantation Asian Unions ultimately ensured the failure of the businesses which held their jobs.
Kam, there were also Filipino plantation unions, too. In fact, the Filipino immigrants were the ones who had the first strikes on sugar plantations in the territory (on Kauai). Don't forget about them, either.

Miulang

[kamuelakea]

After more than a century, it's really really ironic and sad that due to the high cost of production, even the people of Hawai'i will have to buy canned pineapple from places the Philippines or Taiwan or Thailand instead of Hawai'i.

Miulang


Oh I remember one more irony.

That is that Pineapples, just like the people who picked them, are not Native Hawaiian and never were Native Hawaiian and never will be Native Hawaiian. Just another foreign invader.

I say Aloha Pineapple. Nice knowing you.

[kamuelakea]

Kam, there were also Filipino plantation unions, too. In fact, the Filipino immigrants were the ones who had the first strikes on sugar plantations in the territory (on Kauai). Don't forget about them, either.

Miulang

Are you starting the "are Filipinos Asian?" thread?

Oh oh. Bettah watch out.

[Miulang]

Are you starting the "are Filipinos Asian?" thread?

Oh oh. Bettah watch out.

I do believe Filipinos are considered Asian. If not, what are they?

Miulang

[kamuelakea]

Someone correct me if I am wrong but hasn't Marijuana been Hawaii's number one crop for many years. (In dollars.)

And I just heard something else I found hard to believe. That is that deep ocean bottled water is now Hawaii's number one export product.?????? Is that true. I heard it but it seems like a stretch.

[kamuelakea]

I do believe Filipinos are considered Asian. If not, what are they?

Miulang

Okay, so if Filipinos are Asian, then I say the same thing I already said.

Aloha

[Hi Tone]

The only irony is that the success of the Plantation Asian Unions ultimately ensured the failure of the businesses which held their jobs.
My hawaiian mom worked in the pineapple field and the cannery for 25 cent an hour. Students were paid a smaller wage

[Random]

Oh I remember one more irony.

That is that Pineapples, just like the people who picked them, are not Native Hawaiian and never were Native Hawaiian and never will be Native Hawaiian. Just another foreign invader.

I say Aloha Pineapple. Nice knowing you.
Well, it's not like taro have the same culinary appeal as pineapple. ;)

Next on the target list: macadamia nut. (Introduced to Hawaii in 1881.)

[Lei K]

Oh I remember one more irony.

That is that Pineapples, just like the people who picked them, are not Native Hawaiian and never were Native Hawaiian and never will be Native Hawaiian. Just another foreign invader.

I say Aloha Pineapple. Nice knowing you.

Kamuelakea, I like how strong you speak and I agree with many things you say but...

My native Hawaiian (notice the small n here, big N refers to me though) family did, in fact, work for Del Monte and picked pineapples. Maybe that's sad to you, who knows, but my g-gpa did what he had to do to feed the family while tutu pounded poi at home. Aloha.

[Lei K]

*Reads above post again*

Maybe I should have said pound taro, as poi is the result. Oh well, as long as I know what I mean. :D

[kdramafan]

The memories of working at the cannery. The screaming fore-ladies yelling from the platforms to the trimmers. The deafening noise of the machines during peak seasons. The smell of pineapples in the air and on your clothes. Sad to see it end but sooner or later was bound to happen. Plenty cheap labor in foreign countries. That`s why ML&P is selling the land at Honolua. They no longer need it...........

Yes all those memories I had working at the cannery 2 summers in a row while in high school. Those 12 hour shifts meeting many other kids from different schools on Oahu and neighbor islands. That is something I will never forget.

[oggboy]

Yep, those day`s in the summer-time for high school kids who had to work and help out is long gone. Now day`s kids get the fast food restaurants or the theaters and the fun factory jobs. But still no can beat the good fun summer-time day`s at the Cannery.:D

[Da Rolling Eye]

Yep, those day`s in the summer-time for high school kids who had to work and help out is long gone. Now day`s kids get the fast food restaurants or the theaters and the fun factory jobs. But still no can beat the good fun summer-time day`s at the Cannery.:D
The age old argument. Picking was harder work. :D

[oggboy]

Been dea, Dunn Datt... that`s where I wen start off working for Maui Pine, nest summer I wen go trimmer, den gradugate to Janacka feeder....:rolleyes:

[Miulang]

I spent one summer working the crushed pineapple line...I neva eat crushed pine eva since then! (dakine stuff we had to pick out of the pineapple as it went down the belt...ewwwww...:eek: )

Miulang

[oggboy]

Eh, Muilang not the wax on wax off job you wen get. My Sista mo betta yet, the lab. Taking samples hea an dea, oh sis no bus yo okole yea.....
But fo real afta working in the Pineapple Cannery u- kine a stay away from pineapple;)