Report Title:

Export Clearances; Marketing Plan and Guidelines

Description:

Appropriates funds for the Department of Agriculture to develop guidelines and a marketing plan to obtain export clearances for certain papaya exports to Japan and other countries. (SD1)

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

792

TWENTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2005

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

S.D. 1


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

relating to international trade.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the papaya is the second most important fruit crop in Hawaii. In 1992, ninety-five per cent of Hawaii's papaya crop was damaged from the papaya ringspot virus and the industry was in a crisis. From these problems, a genetically engineered papaya called the "rainbow" papaya was developed to resist the aggressive ringspot virus.

Today, the rainbow papaya is an important part of Hawaii's papaya industry and makes up the majority of the papayas exported to the mainland and Canada. With the advent of the rainbow papaya, the industry wants to begin exporting the engineered papayas to Japan. Japan accounts for approximately forty per cent of Hawaii's export; however, without proper clearances, including genomic sequencing, the rainbow papaya cannot be exported to Japan.

The legislature believes that by providing information to clear rainbow papayas for export to Japan, the papaya industry would also open doors in other countries including the European Union.

The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds to gather information, develop guidelines, and develop a marketing plan to obtain export clearances for the Rainbow papaya to Japan and other countries.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $          , or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2005-2006, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2006-2007, to develop guidelines and a marketing plan to obtain export clearances for the Rainbow papaya to Japan and other countries.

SECTION 3. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2005.