ah man - no more Maui Gold's

[Bob Orts]

quote:

---

Originally posted by PaulW

But, the harsh reality is that if Hawaiian farmers can't beat mainland or overseas producers on price, even with the advantage of having to not ship it thousands of miles, then they are doomed. People look at price and maybe quality, not eco-miles or sustainability.

I wish things were different but they're not. People don't want to pay more than necessary for anything.

---

That is so true. Until the price to produce a local product is lower than the cost of shipping in foreign produce, people as a whole will look for that cheaper price.

Also, local producers are selling to a very small market. They would be hard pressed to consistently meet the supply demands of standard grocery store requirements. The store will need to supplement the local items with imported items. Now if you had two items side by side and the local one was a bit more in price, how many people will reach for the cheaper priced imported item?

There is nothing Hawaii can do to level the playing field that will bring price parity of local grown produce to that of imported produce.