It’s a difficult choice between the farming haves and have-nots. Ultimately, Gov. David Ige’s signal to side with the have-nots is reasonable: He is looking to veto House Bill 1705, which would extend state agricultural leases for longtime lessees at the expense of waitlisted applicants.

Under HB 1705, the state Department of Agriculture (DOA) could extend ag park leases for those with under 15 years remaining on their term, for another 30 years and with extensions to be repeated indefinitely. This would apply to leases of up to 25 acres and on neighbor islands.

Many of the current lessees have held leases for nearly 55 years already, the current limit. Meanwhile, there’s now a wait list of 243 applicants for new leases, a list culled every two years.

The agricultural park program is intended as a start-up program for new farmers and small farm operations to become commercially established. It “is not meant to be a permanent space for lessees,” Ige said in his intent-to-veto rationale, “but rather a temporary environment to support new and expanding businesses.”

Agriculture Director Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser, in testimony opposing HB 1705, noted that these leased lots “are among the most affordable in the state for agricultural use,” making them ideal for incubator and start-up operations.

The DOA operates 10 agricultural parks: four on Hawaii island, four on Oahu, and one each on Kauai and Molokai. The 227 plots have access to irrigation, and are of various sizes and lease periods, from 15 to 55 years.

To be sure, many of the farmers testifying in favor of HB 1705 were heartfelt in conveying the investments and efforts needed to establish their operations on the state’s ag parks. One of them, bromeliad farmer David Shiigi on Hawaii island, noted the difficulty in sustaining an ag operation, saying, “We are not opposed to the growth of new farmers. We welcome and support those on the waiting list. We were once on that list.”

But beyond this bill, Shiigi made this astute observation: There are more than enough public lands that are presently left vacant or unattended. And that’s where the Department of Agriculture can, and must, do better.

One huge opportunity lies with righting the dysfunctional Agribusiness Development Corp. (ADC), which was created 25-plus years ago to develop an “aggressive and dynamic” program to fill the economic void after sugar and pineapple plantations died. But the agency has done little to fill the void.

ADC’s property portfolio includes nearly 23,000 acres of land and infrastructure — mostly around Oahu’s Waiahole Water System and Kauai’s Kekaha and Kokee irrigation systems. As a highly critical state audit revealed last year, though, the ADC is rife with mismanagement and sloppy operations.

“Among other things, ADC is statutorily authorized to acquire, own, and sell land; lease or sell its lands to agricultural enterprises and farmers without having to go through a public auction process; invest in enterprises engaged in agricultural crop development, development of new value-added crops, and enhancement of existing agricultural commodities.”

Unfortunately, the audit found, ADC “has done little — if anything — toward achieving its statutory purpose.”

The report stated that much of ADC’s lands are unused, with some even known to have harbored criminal activity for years.

“We found the corporation ill-equipped and struggling to effectively manage these lands, allowing preferred tenants to occupy its lands without approved leases or any other agreements, turning a blind eye to criminal activities on its lands, and ignoring state procurement requirements,” the audit found.

Ige’s intent to veto HB 1705 can’t be faulted, in order to give new farmers more access to cheaper ag leases. What can be faulted is the blithe avoidance of the vast potential squandered by the ADC. The state must do better in expanding opportunities for more farmers, so important for our food security and economy. This means allowing them equal access to the agricultural park program — and finally reforming ADC to seed and support more local farming ventures.