Hawaiʻi officials continue to encourage the export of value-added foods — which, in turn, would also help local agriculture — after formally creating a framework to support local farmers and business owners.

This year, state lawmakers passed House Bill 774 to establish a Food and Product Innovation Network within the state Agribusiness Development Corporation.

The purpose of the network is to allow local entrepreneurs to capitalize on “made in Hawaiʻi” branding by supporting the production of value-added products, like ʻulu chips or poi with a longer shelf life.

That support is focused on processing capacity and storage facilities to help business owners and farmers scale their operations.

“These facilities will enable local producers to create value-added products, increase production capacity, and access larger markets, ultimately strengthening Hawaiʻi’s agricultural sector and boosting economic resilience,” the University of Hawaiʻi Community Design Center said in a report on the FPIN prepared for the ADC.

Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz, who’s a proponent of increasing the export of value-added goods made in Hawaiʻi, said they can use off-grade fruits and vegetables that might not be used otherwise.

“The whole idea of value-added is to help our agriculture industry. For instance, if you have tomato farmers, they can't sell, sometimes, up to 50% of their product and they end up tilling it back into the soil,” Dela Cruz said. “With value-added (goods), we've created a class of entrepreneurs who will buy the off-grades or seconds from the farmer, and they can process ketchup, tomato sauce, salsa and other products that don’t require the A-grade product.”

There’s nothing wrong with those fruits and vegetables — but they are often not sold just because they have minor cosmetic imperfections.

“It could just have a discoloration. … For bell peppers, there's three bumps instead of four. It's still good. But if you end up cutting that up and processing it into another product, then you're helping the farmer and you're helping the entrepreneur,” Dela Cruz said.

Functionally, there’s already a growing network in the state. Dela Cruz said there are education programs in schools that encourage potential entrepreneurs who may be interested in producing value-added products.

Additionally, the facilities like the Wahiawā Value-Added Product Development Center on Oʻahu and the Maui Food Innovation Center — both UH programs — already allow for additional processing and storage for entrepreneurs.

There are also plans for more of those facilities across the state.

Dela Cruz said HB 774 and the formal creation of the FPIN will help Hawaiʻi develop partnerships with out-of-state groups in areas where locally-made products can be exported.

“We can start to partner, we can start to do exchanges. We want to be able to do food and product innovation conferences here, inviting all the different networks — that's the external component,” he said.

He said there are similar food networks in countries like New Zealand, South Korea and the Netherlands.

Members of the Hawai‘i Senate Ways and Means Committee — including Kaua‘i and Ni‘ihau lawmaker Senate President Ronald Kouchi — spent 2 days this week on the Garden Isle for a whirlwind tour for discussions and meetings with officials with various government agencies and community leaders.

Senators during their visit Aug. 12-13 heard from and were updated about activities and work surrounding several issues, including:

• Development of Hawai‘i’s latest food and product innovations.

• Health care systems.

• Education and workforce development pathways.

• Biosecurity efforts.

• Language access.

• Their trip also visited various sites, receiving the latest information about critical projects and initiatives happening on the island.

“Our site visits to Kaua‘i provided the committee with a deeper understanding of the innovations taking place across [the] state to address some of Hawai‘i’s most pressing challenges,” Ways and Means Committee Chairman O’ahu state Sen. Donovan Dela Cruz in a release detailing the visit. “From tackling homelessness by creating a continuum of housing to advancing education, workforce readiness and economic opportunity, we’ve seen firsthand how local partnerships are turning ideas into impact.”

Initiatives such as the Food and Product Innovation Network demonstrate how investments in education and entrepreneurship can strengthen Hawai‘i’s economy and support homegrown industries.

Cultural preservation efforts at Ke Kula Ni‘ihau O Kekaha Learning Center underscore at the same time the importance of protecting the voices and values that make island communities unique.

“These insights will be critical as we continue to shape policies and allocate resources that build a more resilient and equitable future for all of Hawai‘i,” said Dela Cruz.

Kouchi said it’s always meaningful when Hawai‘i Senate comes to Kaua‘i to see the incredible work local communities, educators and organizations are doing every day to tackle statewide challenges.

“From efforts to increase affordable housing and address homelessness, to supporting workforce development and preserving ʻŌlelo Ni‘ihau, these initiatives reflect the deep commitment of our people to building a stronger Hawai‘i,” the Senate president said. “I’m grateful to the Senate Ways and Means Committee for taking the time to engage directly with the people and projects that are making a real difference on the ground.”

The Senate Ways and Means Committee conducts neighbor island site visits every 2 years.

It uses information members receive from community stakeholders and government officials to guide collective decision-making for legislation and budget appropriations that bolster regional and statewide planning and implementation efforts.

The committee’s Kaua‘i visit highlighted the important work and progress by various state and public organizations, allowing members to see the real-life impacts of the policy decisions they craft and deliver to the public.

“As the state moves forward and prepares for the upcoming legislative session, the committee will continue to look at ways to support the crucial efforts of these organizations toward economic diversification, protection of the land and natural resources and education of our keiki and future workforce,” says the committee’s post-trip report.

HONOLULU (Island News) -- A second town hall focusing on creating a "Downtown Honolulu Business Improvement District" took place Thursday night at the former Walmart turned pickleball complex at Fort Street Mall.

City leaders fielded questions and concerns from residents and businesses  about proposed plans to revitalize the area.

Sen. Karl Rhoads (D) Punchbowl, Chinatown and Downtown stated, "The fact there's even a meeting here to talk about this, says to me there's things we can do better at the government level."

While progress has been made, many local workers and community members feel additional improvements are overdue.

Ernest Caravalho stated, "I've been fighting for last ten years for the safety of this community, that's the biggest thing, so that my kapuna, my keiki (and other family) can walk these streets safely."

Vaster coverage and more personnel could be ahead.

Warren Wong with the Fort Street Mall Business Improvement District stated,  "Bill 51 wants to expand the Fort Street Mall BID to include Nuuanu and go all the way through Beretania, Ala Moana, so we'll have better coverage."

Ed D'Ascoli told Island News, "Our family owns the Podmore building on Merchant and Alakea Street - we're very interested in this, we support it - Bill 51 and the Business Improvement District. We want to be able to enhance what the city does, it's important for us.

With Bill 51, the plan/objective is similar to Waikiki, where folks help clean sidewalks, offer directions and provide another set of eyes for police, It would involve 14 additional personnel members out on the streets.

Plans would reportedly involve property owners paying a fee to fund the services.

Honolulu City Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam said, "I think a lot of people recognize to pay for security, to pay for maintenance, pressure washing and all those services, I think that's going to be a welcome addition."

What's a ballpark figure of the price?

"The overall BID budget is about $1.9 million a year, that goes to security and power washing maintenance, that translates to about two cents per square foot on cam, on everyone's maintenance for the commercial properties, but again if people are already paying for private security, already painting out the graffiti on their own, if the BID comes through, the BID organization would help pay for that", added Dos Santos-Tam.

The next hearing is Sept. 3rd before the city council.  The public is encouraged to attend and express their views.