USDA Survey Reports Latest Hawai‘i Agriculture Statistics

Photo courtesy of ML Macadamia Orchard.

The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released survey findings for Hawai‘i’s agriculture industry production and sales during the 2016 and 2017 season.

The survey reports that Hawai‘i aquaculture sales totaled $75.7 million in 2016, falling slightly from the year prior. Algae sales were $34.3 million and accounted for 45.4 percent of the total sales. Overall aquaculture sales have held steady since hitting a record high in 2014.

Floriculture and nursery products were reported to be at their highest value since 2009. The 2016 preliminary value of Hawai‘i’s products is estimated at $74.5, according to NASS, Pacific Region, Hawai‘i Field Office. Increases in sales were attributed to landscape plant material and other nursery products. Cut flowers totaled $6.33 million, a slight increase from 2015.

Tropical fruit and crops in Hawai‘i were valued at $7.5 million in 2016, according to the survey report. Cumulative production for fruits and tropical crops was 4.43 million pounds. Ginger root was reported to be the top volume product, with 730,000 pounds in production. Longan was the second largest crop by volume, estimated at 540,000 pounds. The highest value published crop was ginger root, at $1.7 million in sales. Longan followed as the second highest at $1.2 million.

The NASS survey reported Hawai‘i’s seed crop industry was estimated to be $145 million for the 2016 to 2017 season—a slight increase from the 2015 to 2016 season which totaled roughly $144 million.

In the coffee industry, survey results reported the 2016 to 2017 season showed an estimated production for utilized Hawai‘i coffee at 36.4 million pounds of cherry, growing five percent from the previous season. Coffee growing acreage totaled 6,900 acres, remaining unchanged from the previous year. The average yield in coffee production increased for the second year in a row at 5,600 pounds per acre, up 300 pounds from the previous season. The survey results showed the statewide farm price for coffee averaged $1.71 per pound of cherry, an increase of 10 percent from the previous season’s price of $1.56 per pound. The value of utilized production for coffee was estimated at $62.2 million for this season, up 15 percent from last season’s $54.2 million.

Hawai‘i vegetable and melon crop values showed an increase in 2016 to $47.9 million, according to NASS. Cumulative production for vegetables and melons was 49.7 pounds—a slight increase over last year’s estimate of 49.3 million. The top volume‐producing vegetable crop during 2016 was head cabbage at 8.66 million pounds, up 16 percent from 2015. Cucumbers were the second largest published volume crop, estimated at 5.6 million pounds—a 20 percent decrease from the previous year. In 2016, green onions had the largest percent increase of production from 2015 at 135 percent. Production went from 0.82 million pounds to 1.1 million pounds. Cucumbers showed the leading farm gate value, estimated at $5.64 million. The second largest farm gate value was head cabbage at $4.55 million, which increased 20 percent over 2015.

NASS survey results reported that the 2016 to 2017 macadamia nut season in Hawai‘i ended with a smaller harvest but record high price. Utilized production was reported to fall by 11 percent from the previous season to 42 million pounds. The average farm price increased three cents from last season to 100 cents per pound, setting a new record high.