User:Ginsid/Coffee production in Hawaii

Coffee production in Hawaii
Coffee is the second most valuable crop after Hawaii's seed crops in the state. The Hawaii's Coffee Industry is valued at over $148.48 million when roasted and $102.91 million unroasted. Coffee planting happens on Kona, Kauai, Oahu, Molokai, and Maui. Kona is where most of the production for coffee flowering take place due to its favorable temperatures and rainfall. Cloudless high-temperature areas in certain areas on Kauai or on Oahu are not favorable to coffee. There are concerns for the industry as there are a few factors that may lead to the decline of the Hawaii coffee production. The Hawai'i coffee production in 2020 has been at its lowest. With 2014 being at it's highest in the recent years with 36,000 pounds of coffee beans, 2020-2021 totaled to 22,715 pounds. In 2019, there was roughly about 27,000 pounds. It had gone by 15% from 2019 and the value of the crops totaled $48.4, down 11% from the previous season.

Coffee leaf rust
On October 31, 2020, it had been confirmed that Coffee leaf rust (CLR) has spread on the Hawai'i Islands after the samples had been collected from a local farmer in Kona. Coffee leaf rust is a fungus that can cause severe defoliation of coffee plants and is the most destructive coffee disease in the world. It has the ability to kill an entire farm in a matter of weeks. The spreading of this fungus comes by wind, rain, equipment, workers, and tourists. Hawaii in comparison to other coffee-growing regions does not hold resistance to the fungus. The fungicides used to fight coffee leaf rust has not been approved in Hawaii. With this fungus rapidly spreading on Maui, Oahu, and Lanai, farmers face the possibility of a loss of 70% of crops and there will be a drop in Hawaii's economy. There will be a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars due to the coffee leaf rust.

Coffee Berry Borer
On September 4th of 2020, it had been confirmed by HDOA's Plant Pest Control Branch in Honolulu that coffee berry borers (CBB) have found their way onto the Island of Kaua'i. Coffee berry borer was first detected in the state in September 2010 in Kona. It was later discovered in Ka'u in May of 2011 as well as on O'ahu in December 2014. The last discovery before 2020 had been on Maui in December 2016. It is unknown how CBB made its way onto the Hawai'i Islands and spread. The coffee berry borer is a pest of coffee plants. The beetle lays its eggs into the coffee where the larvae feeds on the coffee bean, reducing the quality of the bean. Hawai'i coffee growers have since developed methods to manage the pest by field sanitation of organic pesticide. To further the reduction of the spread, HDOA mandated a required permit issued by Plant Quarantine prior to transporting unroasted coffee beans and plants as well as all equipments from an infested island onto another island within the state.