Hawaiʻi Seed Crop Value Drops 10% From Record High

Maui Now graphic.

By Wendy Osher

The US Department of Agriculture released a updated report today saying the value of the seed industry in Hawaiʻi for 2013 was lower than previous estimates and experienced a 10% decline from the previous year.

According to the USDA, Hawaiʻi’s seed industry was valued at $217 million—that’s a drop from the $242 million estimated value a year earlier, when the industry set a record high.

Officials attribute the decline to operating and organizational changes.

Seed corn accounts for $205 million, or 95%, of the total value of Hawaiʻi’s seed industry in 2013, with various other seed crops accounting for the remaining 5%, the updated report said.

While value was down, there was a 2% increase in acreage harvested to 7,040 acres, and a 15% increase in out-shipments of seed from the state totaling 12.3 million pounds in 2012-13.