Hawaii County Council Resolution 397 10 introduced by Council Member Kelly Greenwell and passed unanimously by the entire Council on November 4, 2010
A RESOLUTION TO SEEK MONETARY ASSISTANCE IN COMBATING AND CONTROLLING THE COFFEE BEAN BORER.
WHEREAS, coffee is the leading agricultural field crop on Hawai’i Island; and
WHEREAS, the coffee bean borer has been recently identified as an introduced species attacking local coffee farms; and
WHEREAS, this insect could affect production to a point where coffee would no longer be economically viable; and
WHEREAS, the loss of coffee as an expanded crop for Hawai’i Island would severely jeopardize agricultural activity to a point where farming in general becomes untenable; and
WHEREAS, the United States Department of Agriculture has funds to expend on crop disease control and prevention; and
WHEREAS, coffee in Hawai’i qualifies for these funds, now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF HAWAI’I that it strongly encourages all appropriate County State and Federal agencies offices and departments to solicit funding from any and all sources including the United States Department of Agriculture Farm Bill for assistance in combating and controlling the coffee bean bore.
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED that the County Clerk shall forward copies of this resolution to the Honorable Mayor William Kenoi, the Director of the Department of Finance, the Director of the Department of Research and Development, the Director of the State of
Hawai’i Department of Agriculture, the State of Hawai’i Lead ARRA Coordinator, the United States Secretary of Agriculture, the United States Secretary of the Interior, the Director of the USDA Agriculture Research Service-Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center, the President
of the Kona Coffee Farmers Association, and the President of the Kona County Farm Bureau.