TAHR • COLLEGE OF TROPICAL AGRICULTURE AND HUMAN RESOURCES • UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PROCEEDINGS: 3rd ANNUAL HAWAII TROPICAL FRUIT GROWERS CONFERENCE October 22 - 24, 1993 Hawaii Naniloa Hotel Hilo, Hawaii Proceedings: Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Third Annual Conference October 22-24, 1993 Hawaii Naniloa Hotel, Hilo, Hawaii PREFACE ¥arketing and promotion of tropi~al speciality fruits was a major focus of the conference. A panel presented perspectives on marketing from a state agency, a grower, and a restauranteur. The presentation on the Australian experiences in marketing tropiCal fruits was also informative and potentially useful for Hawaii growers, who will be faced with related situations and issues when their orchards ,come into production. The hosts at the three field trip orchard sites should be commended for their open and frank comments, as well as for their unselfish sharing of information on cultural practices for tropical fruits. Editors: C. L. Chia Extension Specialist in Horticulture D. O. Evans Research Associate Department of Horticulture College of Tropical Agriculture and Humari Resources University of Hawaii at Manoa Cover: The pendula nut (Couepia longipendula) is an undomesticated tree of the Amazon. At present it is harvested as a subsistence food, but it has potential for development into a commercial horticultural crop. Photo courtesy of Charles Clement; see p. 23 - 28. DisClaimer Pesticides should be used in accordance with label instructions, Mention of a trade or proprietary name does not constitute a guarantee or warranty of the product by the University of Hawaii and does not imply its approval for use in Hawaii or recommendation of its use to the exclusion of other unmentioned products. - 1 ­ ThirJ AnnuaR Rn tbe Jrnat i 1J) nal TJr1J)JP>i<eal FJruit C1J)nfeJren<ec .October 22, 23 and 24, 1993 . Naniloa Hotel, Hila, Hawaii PROGRAM Sponsored by the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers and the University 0/ Hawaii College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources FRIDAY, OCTOBER 22, 1993 Conference and Annual Meeting -. cont.. 5:00 - 5:30 pm Registration 1:30 - 2: 15 Roger Goebel, "Marketing Tropical 5:00 - 6:00 No host cocktails Fruits in Australia" 2:15 - 3:15 6:00 -7:00 Roger Goebel, "Overview of Australia Markering Panel. Commercial Fruit Industry" Masa Hanaoka. OOA Morton Basson, Kau Gold Oranges 7:00 - 8:00 Charles Cleme·nr, "The Domestication Sam Hugh, Ham Produce and Commercial Urilization of Tropical Peter Merriman. Hawaii Regional Amazonian Fruit" Cuisine 3:15-4:00 BREAK, Fruit Tasting CONFERENCE AND 4:00 - 4:30 Annual Meeting ANNUAL MEETING 6:00- 7:00 No host Cocktails SATURDAY, OCTOBER 23,1993 7:00 - Banquet and Auction 7:45 - 8:45 am Registration 8:45 - 9:00 Opening Remarks, Eric Weinert, HTFG Presidenr 9:00 - 9:15 Welcome from Mayor's Offi¢e FIELD TRIP . 9:15 - 10:00 ,Roger Goebel, "Culruraf Practices of SUNDAY,OCTOBER 24, 1993 .Rambutan, Durian, Mangosteen" 8:00 am Bus leaves Hawaii Naniloa Hotel 10:00 - 10:20 BREAK ·8:30 Les Barclay, Onomea Mixed Tropical 10:20· 11:15 .Roger Goebel, "Cultural Practices of Fruit Orchard fearuring rambutan, Longan and Lychee" mangosteen and abiu .Brian Paxton, Hakalau Tropical Fruit 11:15·12:00 MiRe Strong, "Culrural Practices of 10:30 Atemoya and Irs Market Developmem " Farm and Nursery 12:30 pm 12:00 - 1:00 pm· LUNCH LUNCH - Kole Kole Park 1:45 1:15 - 1:30 Eric Weinert; "Hawaii Agricultural Liloa Willard, Papaikou Tropical Fruit Promotional Associatiori" Farm J:15 Bus rerurns to Hawaii Naniloa Hotel Table of Contents Welcome Addresses Leslie Hill 1 Eric Weinert 1 Hon. Stephen Yamashiro 2 Overview of Australia's Commercial Fruit Industry Roger Goebel. 3 Cultural Practices of Rambutan, Durian, Mangosteen, Lychee, and Longan in Australia Roger Goebel. ; 9 . Marketmg Tropical Fruits in Australia Roger Goebel. 20 Domestication and Commercial Utilization of Tropical Amazonian Fruits Charles Clement 24 Atemoya Cultural Practices and Market Development Mike Strong 30 Hawaii Agricultural Promotion Association Eric Weinert. 35 Marketing Panel Masa Hanaoka : 37 Morton Bassan, Jr.., 38 Peter Merriman 39 Field Trip Excerpts Les Barclay 43 Brian Paxton · 45 Liloa Willard 48 Appendix 1: Agricultural Business Concepts Morton Bassan, Jr. 50 Appendix 2: Permaculture for a Sustainable Future Michael Howden , 52 - 10 ­ ·Welcome Addresses Leslie Hill President, East Hawaii Chapter, Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers Welcome. I would like to acknowledge that the of the House agriculture committee;. Dennis Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers are presenting this Shimamoto is newly appointed to the Governor's conference in conjuntion with the College of Agriculture Coordinating Committee; Po-Yung Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Uni­ Lai is head of Hawaii Cooperative Extension versity of Hawaii at Manoa. We have participation Service; and Jack Fujii is head of the College of from a number of our government's officials today, Agriculture, University of Hawaii at Hilo. I would and I would like to introduce some of them before like· to thank you all for your support of our we begin. Yuki Kitagawa is head of the Hawaii industry. Department of Agriculture; Marshall Ige is chair Eric Weinert President, Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers A lot of people think that agriculture is dead. publication in the Federal Register, carambola Sugar companies are dosing along the Hamakua (starfruit) can be exported to the U. S. mainland Coast and on Oahu. Today we have state officials after a 12-day cold treatment. A similar treatment and growers here who are looking at tropical fruits for lychee is expected soon. These are big as alternatives in crop diversification. I am v,ery breakthroughs te> a huge new market. Also with optimistic about the future of agriculture in state assistance, HTFG has completed a market­ Hawaii, and especially tropieal fruits. In terms of ing plan, written. by Gloria Wong, and some diversity, this fruit group represents over 100 crops excellent color brochures to show .the seasonality that are possible for our islands. of our fruits. ' As a nursery person, the question I get asked In the future, I expect we will see less state most is, "What should I grow?" That is up to you, funding, and we will have to rely more upon and I am glad that you are at this conference. The ourselves. Following the pattern that has devel­ more information you have, the better equipped oped in such places as Australia and Florida, you will be to answer that question. My opinion is future research will be funded or partially funded that we need to diversify. We need to diversify the by our group. We need to band together as state's agricultural industries, and I think you growers and carefully select priorities for future should be diversifying on your own farms, and not research. This is an important reason to join and . "put all your eggs in one basket." There are many support your grower groups. opportunities, and some good tasting fruits. One key thing that. HTFG has been pushing I hope you will join the Hawaii Tropical Fruit for is overflights. These would overfly pest­ Growers. This is our third annual conference, and sensitive areas and allow us to ship into the this series has been possible through good support northern U. S. mainland cities in the winter by the Hilo chapter of HTFG. The Hawaii Agri­ months. This would allow us to avoid treating the cultural Commodities Service acts as executive fruits and fly them directly into Chicago and other' director for HTFG and publishes an excellent cities. We need these export markets, even to newsletter that includes coverage of HTFG support local prices. activities and concerns. We encourage you to Unlike those who want to capture a little support the newsletter with your advertising. segment of the market and are reluctant to share Previous state-funded research done for our information, . HTFG is very open to sharing industry by the University of Hawaii has been on inf()rmation and is dedicated to making the "pie" pesticides for lychee, by Dr. Vince Jones,and bigger. Many fruits have excellent potential. We postharvest studies on rambutan and carambola, need to grow quality products and market them by Dr. Bob Paull. The USDA Agricultural cohesively. The consumers will buy, but it is up to Research Service has announced that pending us. - 1 ­ Honorable Stephen Yamashiro Mayor, Hawaii County Ifyou look around the room and at the people address the pest infestation problems, real or next to you, you will see that agriculture is a very perceived. important part of our county's economic future. It . Our challenge is to develop these products in a will be with us and become more and more quality manner. Your challenge is not only how to important as we progress into the future. This has grow them. Our University has done well in a caveat: it will not be the large-scale industrial developing products that we can grow. A agriculture that we have known in the past. More shortcoming is development of the means of and more, we will have smaller, more diversified, marketing products, and of new products that can entrepreneurial farms. We have to consider our be marketed. There is no use to be able to grow, strengths and limitations and· assess the challenges even to grow well, if we cannot sell the products, in developing . and marketing agricultural get them to market, get them off the island. cominodities. In an agrieultural industry which is Our papaya industry is an example of a traditionally very labor-intensive, be it a sugar commodity that has depended on fresh fruit sales plantation or a fruit orchard, one big challenge is· and has not gone into developing byproducts.