[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 20 (Monday, February 5, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H394-H395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                MAUI'S DEVASTATING AGRICULTURAL IMPACTS

  (Ms. TOKUDA asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, as a member of the House Agriculture 
Committee, the impact of the fires on Maui and Hawaii Island were not 
lost on me.
  The USDA estimates that over $23 million were lost in revenue, crops, 
property, and livestock. With 8,350 acres of agricultural lands burned, 
millions in sales were lost, water and irrigation infrastructure 
destroyed, and everything from crops and cattle to machinery and 
fencing incinerated on that fateful day.
  In addition to the fires, the 80 mile-per-hour winds decimated some 
of Maui's oldest and most iconic farms.
  I walked heartbroken through Hashimoto's Persimmon Farm and saw most 
of the fruit that should have been part of a bumper crop year on the 
ground. Their branches turned and their leaves gone, the survival of 
these century-old trees are now in jeopardy.
  Even before the fires, Mr. Speaker, agriculture was a hard life in 
Hawaii, but if we truly want to build back better and stronger, 
agriculture must and will be a part of our islands' future.

[[Page H395]]

  From agroforestry techniques to help prevent fires to rebuilding 
water infrastructure and helping our farmers, ranchers, and producers 
not just survive but thrive, we now have a chance to do better.

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