Coffee Lovers Unite!

Coffee Lovers Unite! was Originally Posted on October 30, 2010 by lavarock

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, October 30, 2010
Email: [email protected]
website: www.KonaCoffeeFarmers.org

Farmers Asking For Immediate Suspension of Green Coffee Imports

The Kona Coffee Farmers Association has passed a Resolution (entire text may be found here http://konacoffeefarmers.org/Legislative_Objectives.asp ) calling for an immediate suspension of green coffee imports into the State of Hawaii. The decision was made by a Board vote on October 19th, 2010, shortly after the discovery of Coffee Berry Borer in Kona’s coffee trees, and follows more than five years of requests to the HDOA to re-examine whether Hawaii’s import laws were sufficiently protecting Hawaii’s heritage crop from infestation by pests prevalent in other coffee growing regions.

“How did our Hawaii State Department of Agriculture fail us? How did the devastating pest get into Hawaii?” asked Christine Sheppard, a former Kona Coffee farmer. Continuing Sheppard said , “One of the most critical duties of the HDOA is to prevent introduction and spread of pests and diseases harmful to Hawaii agriculture.”

Because of its extreme isolation, Hawaii has been one of only two places in the world free of the Coffee Cherry Borer. Imported green coffee is regularly brought into Kailua-Kona and places in the State of Hawaii to be mixed with 100% Kona to create Kona Blends and to create other coffee mixtures. “Hawaii, unlike other coffee growing regions, allows importation of green coffee and the only way to stop any further destruction and avoid the even more devastating coffee rust, is to ban green imports immediately”, said Bruce Corker, President of the KCFA.

Coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix) is a fungus which begins by destroying coffee leaves and eventually entire farms, and it arrives as a microscopic spore. “That would end coffee cultivation as it has been for the last 182 years in Kona”, said Kona coffee farmer Bob Smith. Fully participating with the state-wide Coffee Cherry Borer Task Force, the Kona Coffee Farmers Association has appointed Smith as its delegate. Smith continued,”Green imports should be immediately banned into Hawaii if we want to keep our heritage Kona coffee viable.”

End of Press Release

WHAT YOU CAN DO: The KCFA urges concerned consumers to email Sandra Kunimoto, Chair of the Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA), asking for a ban on green coffee imports into Hawaii&mdashwith copies to the press. The email address is ([email protected]). Here is a short suggested text:

Dear Ms. Kunimoto:

The HDOAs current system for preventing the introduction of invasive pests and diseases harmful to Hawaii agriculture has failed to protect Kona coffee from the Coffee Berry Borer. I join with the Kona Coffee Farmers Association in urging the HDOA to place an immediate ban on green coffee imports into Hawaii to prevent the introduction of other harmful coffee pests and diseases, such as Coffee Rust.

Kona Coffee is Hawai i’s premier heritage crop. Please protect it.

Sincerely yours,

To review KCFA’s long-standing Position Statement on Green Coffee Imports go to:
konacoffeefarmers.org/Green_Coffee_Imports.asp

Kona Coffee Farmers Association