BUSINESS BRIEFS
Seed crops No. 1 in sales for 2007
Advertiser Staff
Hawai'i farms generated $579.1 million in 2007 sales, down about $500,000 from 2006, according to the most recent revenue assessment of the state's agriculture sector.
The Hawai'i field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service reported that revenue declines in 13 of the 20 biggest crops grown in the state were nearly offset by gains in seven crops to produce the relatively flat overall results.
The 2007 revenue decline was the second straight year that industry sales fell. In 2005, sales totaled $582.8 million. A two-decade high was $596 million in 1990, but farm revenue declined throughout most of the 1990s as sugarcane production dwindled. In recent years, pineapple production has suffered, though diversified agriculture has expanded.
In 2007, the seven crops with increased revenue were seed crops, coffee, papaya, bananas, potted palms, potted dracaena and watermelon.
Seed crops, primarily seed corn, was the biggest crop of 2007, with $146.3 million in sales that represented a $43 million increase from the prior year.
Pineapple, which had been the state's second-largest crop in recent years, no longer has sales disclosed because the number of producers was reduced to just one in 2007 and the survey protects sales information of individual farmers for competitive purposes. In 2006, the value of pineapple sales was $73.7 million.
Taking over the No. 2 rank in 2007 was sugarcane at $47.6 million, which was down from $50.2 million a year earlier.
The third-largest crop of 2007 was coffee at $31.9 million, which was up $55,000 from a year earlier.
'PRO BOWL WORKSHOP' AT HALEKULANI
Hawai'i business owners can learn more about building strategic alliances as part of the NFL's "Pro Bowl Workshop Series" next month.This is the fourth year of the NFL, in partnership with the Hawai'i Small Business Development Center, sponsoring specialized training for small businesses that don't have to have anything to do with football. The workshops will be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 5 at the Halekulani Hotel.
The sessions are designed to meet the needs of startup and expanding businesses. This year's speakers include: Bee Leng Chua, executive director for entrepreneur center, Hawai'i Pacific University; Bank of Hawaii chief economist Paul Brewbaker; Johnson Choi, president of Hong Kong-China-Hawai'i Chamber of Commerce and Choi Consulting Group Inc.; and Manny Menendez, managing partner, Noble Pacific Holdings LLC.
The registration fee for the workshop is $75. Trade tables to showcase products and services are available for $150 and includes workshop participation for one person.
For more information, call the Small Business Development Center at 945-1430 or e-mail Eleanore.leclair@hawaii-sbdc.org.
MESA TO RELEASE EARNINGS REPORT
Mesa Air Group Inc. said it will release its fourth-quarter financial results Tuesday after a nearly one-month delay.Mesa, the parent of go! airlines, on Dec. 16 told the Securities and Exchange Commission it was delaying the earnings release, saying a complete report couldn't be provided by its due date without "unreasonable effort or expense." Mesa has delayed its filings for the past four quarters.
In addition to the earnings report, Mesa also will hold a conference call at 7 a.m. Hawai'i time on Tuesday to discuss financial results. Those interested can access the company's webcast of the conference call through the Mesa Web site at www.mesa-air.com. The call leader will be Jonathan Ornstein, chairman and CEO of Mesa.
Mesa shares closed up 1 cent at $.28 yesterday on the Nasdaq Stock Market.
