"Hawaii's flower and nursery industry enjoyed their best year ever in 2005, some nursery operators say they fear their industry will go the way of sugar and pineapple after a federal judge rejected their bid to block Taiwanese imports.
On June 29, U.S. District Court Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington, D.C., ruled against Hawaii growers who sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture trying to stop the importation of potted orchids from Taiwan. It was the second such court setback for the growers. The Hawaii Orchid Growers Association alleged that the department did not fully consider the impact of insects and other invasive pests potentially introduced to Hawaii by orchids growing in moss and other potting material from Taiwan. ... In 2004 the Agriculture Department, at the request of the Taiwanese government, changed a plant quarantine rule to allow the importation of the phalaenopsis... orchid in potting materials like moss. Because they can be shipped in potting material, the orchid plants can now be sent to the United States by sea in shipping containers, cutting costs for the Taiwanese growers and allowing the mass importation of phalaenopsis orchids. Big Island orchid grower Leonard Gines ... biting midges or plant diseases could hide in the growing material and be introduced to Hawaii from Taiwan, according to Gines and state agriculture officials. Last year, Hawaii growers lost their first lawsuit seeking a restraining order against the rule change. Now the Hawaii growers have 60 days to decide if they want to appeal the decision in the second lawsuit and are polling the 144 members of the association about whether to continue. ...the vote could be close. Some members say they believe the lawsuit is a waste of time and money. Richard Takafuji of the Orchid Center in Waianae said his business will survive by selling to local stores and consumers even against competition from Taiwan. ... Takafuji noted that Taiwanese orchids have been coming in to the mainland since last year, but he said the cost of shipping the orchids from California keeps the price of locally grown orchids competitive. U.S. Agriculture Department officials say there have been no direct imports of orchids from Taiwan to Hawaii so far. However, Carol Okada of the state Agriculture Department plant quarantine branch said she has received inquiries from local growers who are looking into bringing potted orchids from Taiwan. Okada said the state's lawyers reviewed the lawsuit and decided not to join it. However, the state filed an amicus brief and technical assistance from a University of Hawaii researcher in support of the growers' arguments. ... The state's focus is now on trying to set up a joint inspection center so that state inspectors can look at shipments of foreign orchids and other plants alongside federal inspectors... Agriculture statistics show local orchid sales have declined from $23.4 million in 2003 to $22.2 million last year, but that figure also includes cut flowers. Local agriculture statistics show some growers are apparently switching their production away from potted phalaenopsis plants in anticipation of Taiwanese competition. In 2004 there were 32 farms in Hawaii... reporting raising and selling phalaenopsis plants. But last year, only 23 farms raised the orchid variety, and sales dropped from 174,000 plants with a value of $1 million in 2004 to $717,000 for the sale of about 80,000 phalaenopsis plants last year. Carmela Watanabe of S&W Orchids Inc. said the price locally for phalaenopsis orchids has not changed. However, her company also sells plants at mainland orchid shows, and Watanabe said she no longer brings phalaenopsis orchids from Hawaii to sell on the mainland because prices have dropped since the rule change. Orchid plants that she used to sell for $50 to $75 now command only $20 on the mainland, Watanabe said." article URL: http://starbulletin.com/2006/07/20/news/story04.html ********** regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
