Hawaii’s crop of tropical fruits last year fell an estimated 10 percent largely because of a sharp drop in rambutan production, according to the local field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Tropical fruit growers statewide harvested 2.1 million pounds of fruit last year, down from 2.3 million pounds a year before, the agency estimated.
Industry sales totaled an estimated $4 million last year, down from $4.5 million in 2007.
Tropical fruit growers last year farmed 1,480 acres, up 1 percent from 1,470 acres a year earlier, though only 970 acres was harvested in both years.
Rambutan, which was the state’s biggest tropical fruit crop in 2007 with 824,000 pounds harvested, fell by nearly half last year to 450,000 pounds.
The drop in rambutan made mango last year’s biggest crop with 660,000 pounds harvested. That was down from 690,000 pounds a year earlier.
Production was higher for atemoya, longan, lychee and persimmons. Also up was production in the category of “other” fruits, which includes abiu, breadfruit, caimito, canistel, cherimoya, durian, jaboticaba, jackfruit, langsat, loquat, mangosteen, poha, rollina, sapodilla, soursop, starfruit and white sapot.