Hawai'i Sugar Growers Oppose Deal

[The Sushi Bandit]

http://the.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/2003/Dec/18/bz/bz02a.html

Hawai'i sugar growers are worried that a free trade agreement struck between the United States and Central American countries yesterday could spell the beginning of the end of the sugar industry in the state.

The U.S.-Central America Free Trade Agreement would raise the quota of sugar imports from El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua that are allowed into the United States without tariffs.

"It will literally force domestic producers out of business," said Alan Kennett, general manager for Gay & Robinson.

[denverbill]

1. That's the point, stupid.

"It will literally force domestic producers out of business,"

That's the whole point of 'free trade' isn't it brainiac? The cheapest producer wins, the others die.

I don't remember hearing sugar producers crying when automakers shipped production to Mexico.

[Cha]

2. Good Point but hopefully it's not too late

to save "domestic producers".

[Flightful]

3. "Save" them?

Why can't they save themselves? If they can't make money from sugar how about finding a crop that DOES make money? When New Zealand ran out of money to subsidize lamb producers many switched to beef and made more money than they did with the subsidies.

[zbdent]

4. The real crop in Hawai'i is tourists

Do you know that the Dole plantation begun in Hawaii (Kahoolowe?) no longer is concerned with production of pineapples?

They are now using what was one of their best fields as development for hotels.

[The Sushi Bandit]

6. Its about protecting American Jobs - We need to Stop NAFTA

If you lived in Hawai'i you would understand how this isolated economy (the most isolated in the world) realy needs the market on the mainland. Hawai'i is not New Zealand!

Also, sugar from Hawai'i is grown by americans who need their jobs. The economy crashed after 9-11 far worse than on the mainland. We need to support ALL their products. Do you drink coffee from Hawai'i??

I DO!!

[KamaAina]

9. Well, I suppose we *could* grow tropical fruit on sugar land...

papayas or mangoes, for instance...

BUT Hawai'i fruit is actually tougher to ship to the mainland U.S. than is fruit imported from areas like Latin America!

Our fruit has to be irradiated :nuke: before it can get into the country (that it was grown in!) while the imports from countries that also have fruit flies and whatnot just sail right in.

So you see, it's not as simple as "let 'em grow cake". The deck is stacked against us all the way down the line. Bear in mind, agriculture here is highly unionized, which may well explain why Bush* is kneecapping it.

[BrotherBuzz]

5. Either way...

US will still be losing/exporting jobs. Candy manufacturers are already moving overseas (well, Canada). What other industries that could move overseas are dependent on large quantities of sugar? The simple fact is there is a world glut of sugar and the United States is paying two to three times as much as the rest of the world for its sugar. Damned if you do, damned if you don't, someone loses.

[Flightful]

7. Goes to show

Protectionism doesn't "protect" much. Lifesavers are now made in Canada because they are almost 100% sugar and it's cheaper here. Look at Ontario's wine industry- back in the 70s when it was "protected" by tariffs and quotas, their product was barely fit to use on french fries. Those protections are gone and now we produce a lot of award-winning vintages. <topic drift>BTW I'm no expert but anything from Pelee Island Winery is terrific</topic drift>.

[The Sushi Bandit]

8. Dennis Kucinich would protect them!

and hold offshore american companies accountable!

[BrotherBuzz]

11. Hold offshore American companies accountable. Yes!

But why would Kucinich want to protect an industry that is famous for corporate welfare? The GAO estimates that 42 percent of all sugar subsidies went to only one percent of farmers, benefiting mainly large corporations. Hawaii's sugar industry may be quaint but it's only a pawn in the bigger picture. Now, Florida is another story. A quick google search Jeb Bush/cane sugar/environment/corruption/phosphate runoff/Fanjul family/Everglades/campaign contributions, etc. paints a sour picture in my mind. In the agricultural sector, only the tobacco industry spends more on campaign contributions and lobbying efforts than the sugar industry. Why would Kucinich get in bed with these people?

[robcon]

10. I don't get why the growers need 'protection.'

The U.S. is the largest exporter of agricultural products in the world. Why do we need 'protection' from imports of sugar?

Dominating world commerce in agriculture isn't enough? In addition to shipping our produce all over the world, we 'need' to prevent other countries from sending their produce to the U.S.?

The U.S. position on protecting sugar is sheer hypocrisy.

[zelda7743]

12. I live on Kauai

People who are out of work because of sugar plantation layoffs are stuck in a very difficult place. There are only so many tourist-related service jobs available. It's not like these people can just pick up and move.
Hopefully, the land will stay zoned for agriculture (which is another worry with all the resort vultures hovering around) and a new crop of something can be grown.
Wanting equal footing is not the same as protectionism. Getting produce from Hawaii to the mainland is ridiculous (you can't even take a piece of fruit, that you bought at the grocery store, with you on mainland-bound flights).

[opihimoimoi]

13. The fact of the matter is Hawaii Sugar Plantations have been slowing going

by the way side for over 25 years now. One by one the owners found better yeilds with the land than sugar production.
The real challenge for our Island Leader Decision Maker Guys is what the hell to do.

About 4 years ago, the Gov had a Group Think Tank dream up ways to get our Econ on the roll again. After months and months, these leaders came up with this bright concept; Get the Community to kick in ideas, suggestions. Bingo, a couple of weeks later, a whole slew of ideas rolled in. Pretty damn good ones too.

In the End, the Panel, releases a small list of recommendations. The State spends $3 mill in advertising to get the ideas accepted by the community. Nope, the community said no, all the ideas were rejected, nothing passed, nothing done. Grid locked, stymied, and systemic rot still exists. We even have a new Gov who has yet to give us real results after 1 year/

Hawaii economy still languishes but is ever so slowly recovering from 9/11 and beyond. We are fucked.

Re Sugar, Why try to raise sugar with higher costs and attempt to compete with other growers with lower costs? We will lose every time.

We need to find better ways to create jobs. Sugar had a nice long run, its time to move on I guess.