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Monsanto has terminated an effort to ensure that much of the farmland it owns on Molokai is preserved for agriculture far into the future.
The corn seed producer notified the state Land Use Commission on Wednesday that it has withdrawn a petition to designate 1,084 acres for protection under a state law intended to preserve prime farmland.
Monsanto filed the petition last month under the state’s Important Agricultural Lands (IAL) law.
The company, which produces corn seed with new traits using traditional and genetic techniques, received written support from Maui County, the state Agriculture Department, the state Office of Planning, and several individuals and organizations.
However, others in the community had a different view, and the commission deferred making a decision at an Oct. 18 public hearing.
“Unfortunately, the proceedings at the commission, and the discussion in the community, became more about who was doing the farming, rather than the simple statutory question of whether the petitioner’s land was appropriate for IAL designation,” Monsanto said in its withdrawal letter.
Monsanto said its use
of the land will not change.
