SENATE VICE PRESIDENT LORRAINE R. INOUYE ANNOUNCES $250,000 FOR TROPICAL AGTECH CENTER IN HILO

HILO, HAWAIʻI – Senate Vice President Lorraine R. Inouye (Senate District 1– Hilo, Pauka‘a, Papaikou, Pepe‘ekeo) announced the release of $250,000 in Capital Improvement Program (CIP) special funds to advance the Tropical AgTech Center at the Hilo Foreign-Trade Zone located at the old Hilo airport on Hawaiʻi Island.

The funding will support the design and construction of the greenhouse nursery for tissue culture and help expand agricultural technology resources for Hawaiʻi Island farmers.

The Tropical AgTech Center is being developed by the State of Hawaiʻi Foreign-Trade Zone No. 9 (FTZ9), a division of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, in partnership with the Hawaiʻi Island Agricultural Partnership. The project is designed to strengthen small-farm profitability, increase food security and support the growth of high-wage agricultural technology jobs on Hawaiʻi Island.

“I’m especially pleased to see this investment in the Hilo Foreign-Trade Zone. The Hilo site became part of Hawaiʻi’s Foreign-Trade Zone program during my time as Mayor of Hawaiʻi County, and to see how it has evolved many years later is especially rewarding. This investment will help provide our farmers with access to technology and resources that can strengthen their operations while supporting the future of agriculture on Hawaiʻi Island,” said Senator Inouye. “I want to thank Governor Green for releasing these funds. I would also like to thank my colleagues in the State Legislature, U.S. Senator Mazie Hirono and Congresswoman Jill Tokuda for their continued support of this project. Investments in agricultural technology can help strengthen our local farms, improve our food security and create new economic opportunities for Hawaiʻi Island.”