More than $2 million of green onions and $4 million of head cabbage grown by local farmers helped drive an increase in Hawaii’s vegetable crop last year, according to an annual government report.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated that the value of vegetable crops produced by commercial farmers statewide rose
6 percent to $47.9 million last year from $45.2 million the year before.
Last year’s total was the highest in at least four years. Data before 2013 are not comparable because sales data were collected for only a limited number of vegetable varieties.
The biggest crop by sales revenue last year was cucumbers at $5.6 million, which declined from
$6.5 million the year before. Cucumber farmers harvested their crop on 270 acres last year, up from 265 acres the year before, but only produced 5.6 million pounds last year compared with 7 million pounds the year before, according to the report that is produced in cooperation with the state Department of Agriculture.
Among 14 vegetable varieties in which comparable sales data were available, revenue last year rose for six and dropped for eight.
The biggest gains took place in fields planted with green onions, for which revenue last year rose to
$2.2 million from $1.5 million the year before, and head cabbage, for which revenue rose to $4.6 million from
$3.8 million. Other crops with gains were Chinese cabbage, daikon radish, romaine lettuce and eggplant.
Along with cucumbers, crops that had revenue declines were mustard cabbage, kale, carrots, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, oriental squash and snap beans.
Revenue for some varieties of vegetables, including tomatoes, watercress and sweet potatoes, were not disclosed so that sales for individual farms remain confidential. Total revenue for unpublished vegetables was $15.2 million last year compared with $16.5 million the year before.
