Biotech now second only to pineapple

After reviewing the newest statistics from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, local growers of designer gene crops are declaring that they have become the second biggest crop category in Hawaii.

Hawaii's genetically engineering seed industry is now valued at $70.4 million, according to the National Agricultural Service Hawaii Field Office, exceeded only by pineapple at $79.3 million. Sugar cane has slipped to third place with a value of $58.3 million.

Sarah Styan, president of the Hawaii Crop Improvement Association, said Hawaii has pivotal importance in growing seed corn for the world.

"Most of the corn planted around the world -- including biotech corn -- spent at least some portion of its development time in Hawaii," Styan said. "Hawaii seed companies use plant breeding practices to produce both conventional and biotech parent seed lines. These seed lines are used to produce commercial quantities of conventional and biotech seeds for new and improved crops."

Genetic modification, genetic engineering and designer gene are all terms which most of the time are used to refer to high-tech modification of the genes of crops to make them hardier or improve their crops. But before this could be done in the laboratory it was done for centuries through cross-breeding. Hawaii has traditionally been a popular place to develop seed for crops because its climate allows more than one growing and development cycle per year. The research, in brief, proceeds more rapidly.

In 2006 total biotech crop acreage worldwide reached 252 million acres in 22 countries, according to the annual report issued last week by the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri-Biotech Applications.

The agricultural seed crop industry in Hawaii is dominated by seed corn but also includes soybean, sunflower and cotton. Depending on the year, the value of the corn seed crop generally falls between 92 percent and 97 percent of the total Hawaii seed industry.

Corn ranked second in biotech crop acreage in the United States in 2006, at 48.4 million acres, a 14 percent increase over 2005, with a little over half planted in biotech corn.

According to the Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation, the Hawaii seed industry employs more than 2,000 people and pumps $144 million a year into the state economy including $7 million in taxes.

"In addition to its significant contribution to the local economy," Styan said, "the seed industry also benefits Hawaii by providing jobs for people living in rural areas who do not participate in the tourism industry. Many of these jobs are high paying technical jobs that provide opportunities to graduates of our local colleges and universities who otherwise would leave the state in search of well-paying jobs. And it helps keep agricultural lands in production."

The Hawaii Crop Improvement Association is an industry association representing member seed producers, which together operate on an estimated 8,000 acres on four islands.

Source: washington.bizjournals.com