The thrust of President Trump’s tariff policy is to make American goods more price-competitive, thereby creating the conditions for more domestic manufacture, rather than reliance on U.S. imports. Hawaii has not been a hub of American-made products in most categories, but there is one that could benefit from an environment of some higher prices.
That would be agriculture. Hawaii has a year-round growing season, but export potential has been limited by federal regulation as well as competition.
It is good to see Hawaii’s high-level state officials working to claim a piece of the “made in America” advantage the islands deserve. In March, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke met with Brooke Rollins, the U.S. agriculture secretary, to discuss some of the state’s agricultural industry concerns.
This is an opportunity to capitalize on changing conditions — exactly the sort of initiative Hawaii should be pursuing, and that our congressional delegation should be spearheading to work within the system.
On a separate yet related front, there is now an improved “shipping” service to and from the islands.
One major development was the new Amazon delivery station that opened on Sand Island a year ago, aiding in quick fulfillment of merchandise orders from the online marketplace site.
It has also enabled a fast track specifically for Hawaii-grown pineapples, still among the marquee products for visitors to the state and now being made more available to mainland markets. The key was a partnership announced in mid-July between Maui Gold and Amazon that launched a direct cargo route between Hawaii and California.
State Sen. Glenn Wakai helped to put the partners together. He said the four cargo planes Amazon sends to Hawaii each day have space on the return flights to be filled by locally made or grown products.
The hope should be that this new pipeline expands to include multiple lines of Hawaii-made products, Wakai added. But above all, agriculture should be a primary focus. Whether it’s pineapple or other fruits — or Hawaii’s famous coffee — now is the time to boost their cachet for a wider market.
The lieutenant governor said in a Monday phone interview with the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that discussions over these issues actually began under the Biden administration. The back-and-forth accelerated after Trump’s inauguration in January, Luke said, especially when hiring freezes delayed the work of agricultural inspectors at the airports.
That issue has receded, but the USDA outreach then expanded to other regulatory concerns. For example, Hawaii is rightly making the case that some fruit-borne insects cannot survive in some colder climates, Luke said; the state is hoping that blanket bans on exports can be lifted in such cold zones.
Fruits with softer skins, such as papayas, can harbor fruit flies, she said, but harder-shell produce such as pineapples and avocados are much more resistant and should be regulated differently.
Irradiation should not be required across all produce categories, she said. Avocados, with their protective hard shell, can be discolored and essentially ruined through irradiation. Hawaii should want its high-quality avocado crop to be marketable at full advantage.
Finally, Luke said, the USDA should help local farmers by selecting their crops to supply Hawaii food banks in its surplus purchase program. This makes sense, and would save federal funds as well: The agency currently ships in mainland produce for this purpose, she added.
It’s still unclear when each of the individual barriers to exporting could be lifted — but persisting with the USDA discussions is crucial.
Hawaii does have some exceptional products to market more broadly. Keeping this state top of mind among federal officials is mission critical.