U.S. Sens. Daniel K. Inouye and Daniel Akaka and Congressman Neil Abercrombie are pushing to block a proposal that would expose Hawai'i specialty fruit growers to competition from cheaper imports from Thailand.

The proposal being considered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture would allow Thailand for the first time to begin exporting specialty fruits to the United States, including pineapples, mangoes, longan, lychee, rambutan and mangosteen.

"The specialty fruit industry is one of Hawai'i's real success stories, exhibiting dramatic growth and amazing promise in just a few short years," Abercrombie said in a letter to the Department of Agriculture. "The senators and I are going to do everything we can to protect it from any threat of unfair competition."

Hawai'i is the only state that grows most of the tropical fruits, and local growers are concerned that they will be at a competitive disadvantage with Thai products, which are indirectly subsidized by the Thai government. There are also concerns that Thailand exports could lead to the spread of pests and diseases into the United States.

Farm sales of such Hawai'i-grown tropical specialty fruits rose 40 percent to a record $2.7 million last year, according to the National Agricultural Statistics Service. More than half of the acreage is planted on the Big Island.

The USDA is accepting public comments on the proposed rules through Monday.