Hawaii to Receive $3.7 Million in USDA Farm Bill Section 10007 Funding

Funding Supports Local Projects to Protect Agriculture and Plants from Pests and Diseases

WASHINGTON, March 22, 2018 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is allocating $3.7 million to Hawaii from Section 10007 of the 2014 Farm Bill as part of its effort to strengthen the nation’s infrastructure for pest detection and surveillance, identification, and threat mitigation, and to safeguard the nursery production system. Overall, USDA is providing nearly $70 million in funding this year that will support 494 projects across the country.

“We are pleased to partner with Hawaii to provide critical Farm Bill funds that will put innovative ideas into action and help us overcome our shared invasive pest and disease challenges,” said USDA Under Secretary Greg Ibach. “Hawaii is a critical partner in protecting U.S. agriculture. These projects will enable Hawaii to protect its own resources, and, in doing so, contribute to USDA’s mission of keeping our nation’s agriculture economy healthy and strong.”

These funds will support projects covering a range of plant health and pest mitigation activities, including the following:

• $1.3 million to support coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) eradication activities in Hawaii;
• $980,000 to identify and use predatory insects for biological control and to develop other tools to address the CRB, as well as to mitigate the impact of other harmful plant pests such as tephritid species and the coffee berry borer;
• $643,000 to develop or enhance plant pest and disease diagnostic and identification technologies for exotic fruit flies, fruit piercing moth, and Dickeya species of pests;
• $233,000 to develop a compendium reference publication on fruit fly host commodities;
• $232,000 for x-ray equipment supporting Hawaii pre-departure agricultural inspections of commercial air passengers;
• $123,000 to survey for harmful invasive mollusks and solanaceous vegetable crop pathogens;
• $138,000 to support increased awareness about invasive ants and CRB in Hawaii; and
• $44,000 to support National Clean Plant Network foundation plant stocks for sweet potato.

USDA has funded 1,849 projects with approximately $228 million in Section 10007 funding since the 2014 Farm Bill was enacted. Collectively, these projects continue to bolster our country’s safeguarding system while allowing USDA and its partners to quickly detect and rapidly respond to invasive pests and diseases. You can view the FY 2018 spending plans on the APHIS Web site at www.aphis.usda.gov/farmbill.

APHIS created the Hungry Pests public outreach program to empower Americans with the knowledge they need to leave these “hungry pests” behind. Visit www.aphis.usda.gov/pestsdiseases/hungrypests to learn more about invasive plant pests and diseases impacting your area and how you can help.