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New Bill Would Eliminate Agribusiness Development Group

(AP) — A bill in the Hawaiʻi Legislature would disband the state’s Agribusiness Development Corporation and transfer its resources to the state Department of Agriculture. The state created the agency in 1994 to help convert former pineapple and sugar plantation land into economically viable farms that would produce a broad range of products. The agency owns and manages 23,000 acres of land and irrigation systems, mostly on Kauaʻi and Oʻahu. But a recent state audit concluded the agency was “ill-equipped and struggling” to effectively manage its lands. The agency’s leader Jimmy Nakatani says the bill is drastic and unwarranted.

 

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