PGR News from the Pacific

Posted 2:06 PM by Luigi

Rain damage to taro could cut poi supply in Hawaii

From the Honolulu Star Bulletin.

Torrential rains -- more than 8 inches in a 24-hour period last week -- as well as pests have pounded taro crops on Kauai's North Shore, a source of a third to a half of the state's poi. Bino Fitzgerald, head of Hanalei Poi Co., predicts a shortage of poi throughout the state. But Eric Enomoto, treasurer for poi distributor HPC Foods Ltd., said it is too early to tell what last week's rains will do to the crop three months from now.

What that means as graduation and wedding season quickly approaches has yet to be seen, Enomoto said. "It's like any other vegetable crop," Enomoto said. "Long periods of continuous rainy conditions are going to affect the crop more" than a one-time event.

A rainy season in Hanalei has a large impact on poi in Honolulu, as state figures put 72 percent of Hawaii's taro coming from Kauai. And Hanalei Valley is the site of half and two-thirds of the crop grown on Kauai, Fitzgerald estimates.

Fitzgerald's Hanalei Poi has already stopped selling poi over the Internet, once the source of 10 percent of the company's sales. And it has also refused to fill individual orders to ensure it has a steady supply of poi for Big Save, Wal-Mart and other major local retailers, Fitzgerald said.

HPC Foods, meanwhile, which manufactures and distributes the Taro brand poi from taro grown across the state, is also starting to see the effect of the rains on crops bought from Kauai growers, in the quality of taro being picked, Enomoto said.

But don't count the taro out. The resilient plant could make a comeback with a little help from Mother Nature.

"What is important now is what kind of weather we have from here on," Enomoto said. While frequent rain could damage poi sales and distribution for more than a year, he said, dry, sunny weather will help the taro fields recover quickly, perhaps in time for peak poi season.

Taro has a 12- to 14-month growing cycle, but it takes only one to two days for a picked taro plant to become poi and to make it to a supermarket's shelves. The entire crop, from newly planted to nearly full-grown plants, has been damaged by the rain, which also helped spread a variety of pests, including pocket rot (a disease that forms pockets of rotting tissue in the corm), leaf blight and apple snails. So tourists are not the only ones looking for some sunshine.

"We're hoping for a period of good weather ... where the taro can recover," Enomoto said, adding, "Periodic floods are part of the process."

Fitzgerald says that what makes this year different from previous flooding winters is the lack of people actually farming taro. While poi has become more popular, taro farmers are growing older, and younger generations of potential farmers are finding work in higher-paying industries. And it is becoming more expensive to stay in business. Important tools including fuel, fertilizer, plastics and other materials are rising in price, while property taxes increase across the state.

"We're driving out farmers from agriculture," Fitzgerald said.

To survive, Fitzgerald said he is not taking on any new big accounts. Instead, he plans to market poi as a niche, gourmet product, where the focus is on quality rather than quantity.

"We've got to take care of our local people and local markets," he said.



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Torrential rains -- more than 8 inches in a 24-hour period last week -- as well as pests have pounded taro crops on Kauai's North Shore, a source of a third to a half of the state's poi. Bino Fitzgerald, head of Hanalei Poi Co., predicts a shortage of poi throughout the state. But Eric Enomoto, treasurer for poi distributor HPC Foods Ltd., said it is too early to tell what last week's rains will do to the crop three months from now. What that means as graduation and wedding season quickly approaches has yet to be seen, Enomoto said. "It's like any other vegetable crop," Enomoto said. "Long periods of continuous rainy conditions are going to affect the crop more" than a one-time event. A rainy season in Hanalei has a large impact on poi in Honolulu, as state figures put 72 percent of Hawaii's taro coming from Kauai. And Hanalei Valley is the site of half and two-thirds of the crop grown on Kauai, Fitzgerald estimates. Fitzgerald's Hanalei Poi has already stopped selling poi over the Internet, once the source of 10 percent of the company's sales. And it has also refused to fill individual orders to ensure it has a steady supply of poi for Big Save, Wal-Mart and other major local retailers, Fitzgerald said. HPC Foods, meanwhile, which manufactures and distributes the Taro brand poi from taro grown across the state, is also starting to see the effect of the rains on crops bought from Kauai growers, in the quality of taro being picked, Enomoto said. But don't count the taro out. The resilient plant could make a comeback with a little help from Mother Nature. "What is important now is what kind of weather we have from here on," Enomoto said. While frequent rain could damage poi sales and distribution for more than a year, he said, dry, sunny weather will help the taro fields recover quickly, perhaps in time for peak poi season. Taro has a 12- to 14-month growing cycle, but it takes only one to two days for a picked taro plant to become poi and to make it to a supermarket's shelves. The entire crop, from newly planted to nearly full-grown plants, has been damaged by the rain, which also helped spread a variety of pests, including pocket rot (a disease that forms pockets of rotting tissue in the corm), leaf blight and apple snails. So tourists are not the only ones looking for some sunshine. "We're hoping for a period of good weather ... where the taro can recover," Enomoto said, adding, "Periodic floods are part of the process." Fitzgerald says that what makes this year different from previous flooding winters is the lack of people actually farming taro. While poi has become more popular, taro farmers are growing older, and younger generations of potential farmers are finding work in higher-paying industries. And it is becoming more expensive to stay in business. Important tools including fuel, fertilizer, plastics and other materials are rising in price, while property taxes increase across the state. "We're driving out farmers from agriculture," Fitzgerald said. To survive, Fitzgerald said he is not taking on any new big accounts. Instead, he plans to market poi as a niche, gourmet product, where the focus is on quality rather than quantity. "We've got to take care of our local people and local markets," he said. * Comments: Post a Comment	Archive October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 September 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008 June 2008 July 2008 August 2008 September 2008 October 2008 November 2008 December 2008 January 2009 February 2009 March 2009 April 2009 May 2009 June 2009 July 2009 August 2009 September 2009 October 2009 November 2009 January 2010 RSS Feed Alternative feed Contact Tevita Something new: Agrobiodiversity Weblog: For discussions of conservation and sustainable use of the genetic resources of crops, livestock and their wild relatives. 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