RELATING TO AGRICULTURAL STATISTICS.

SB2404

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

2404

THIRTY-THIRD LEGISLATURE, 2026

STATE OF HAWAII

A BILL FOR AN ACT

relating
to agricultural statistics
.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

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SECTION
1.
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The legislature finds that the
department of agriculture and biosecurity's existing agricultural statistics
program plays a crucial role in providing producers and policymakers with
essential data to guide short-term decision-making and long-term strategic
planning.
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In fact, the department of
agriculture and biosecurity has a statutory duty, and a contractual obligation
with the United States Department of Agriculture, to ensure robust data
collection and reporting across the State.
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However, the department has experienced several shortcomings in the
agricultural statistics program, including limited access to accurate and
timely agricultural data and outdated collection, analysis, and dissemination
of agricultural statistics, which results in limited insights into data that are
critical to the movement of agricultural goods into and within the State.
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Additionally, the United States Department of
Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service personnel count has been
reduced by thirty per cent since January 2025, and the National Agricultural
Statistics Service recently announced that surveys will focus on collecting mandatory,
core, national-level data, increasing the urgency to for the State to ramp up
its ability to accurately map the State's agricultural commodities.

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The
legislature additionally finds that the department of agriculture and
biosecurity's agricultural statistics program is critical to understanding the
State's existing agricultural resources, including locally-grown agricultural
products.
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Without the ability to
accurately map the State's agricultural commodities, the State will be unable
to meet the purchasing goals established by the Farm to School Act (Act 175,
Session Laws of Hawaii 2021) and Farm to State Act (Act 176, Session Laws of
Hawaii 2021).

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The
legislature further finds that in 2024, the department of agriculture and
biosecurity launched a statewide process to address key economic challenges
facing the agricultural sector and developed short‑term actions and a
long-term strategy aimed at addressing the shortcomings of its statistics
program and other goals, such as boosting local product availability and expanding
market capacity.
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The objectives of the
long-term strategy are to:

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(1)
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Collect, analyze, and report data and trends on
the intra- and inter-island production, distribution, and sale of select
agricultural products;

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(2)
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Provide producers with the information needed
to make informed decisions about planning, scaling operations, and exploring
new growth or market opportunities;

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(3)
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Provide other decision makers with key analyses
of production and production opportunities, trends, and growth to better
allocate public resources to support agriculture and the public; and

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(4)
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Support the strategic growth and development
of Hawaii's agricultural sector by enhancing the statistics program's data
collection, analysis, and reporting capabilities.

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Accordingly,
the purpose of this Act is to
revitalize and enhance
the department of agriculture and biosecurity's agricultural
statistics
program by statutorily establishing an agricultural statistics program and
appropriating funds for the program.

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SECTION
2.
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Chapter 148, Hawaii Revised Statutes,
is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as
follows:

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Part .
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Agricultural statistics

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148-
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Definitions.
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For the purposes of this part, "tropical fruit" includes
but is not limited to nuts, herbs, spices, kalo, taro, or any other fruit or
nut identified as a tropical fruit by the United States Department of
Agriculture.

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�148-
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Agricultural statistics program.
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The department of agriculture and biosecurity
shall:

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(1)
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Collect data, provide analysis, and report on
the intra- and inter-island transportation of fresh fruit and vegetable
products;

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(2)
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Develop and maintain electronic systems for
capturing and analyzing data on the intra- and inter-island transportation of
fresh fruit and vegetable products; and

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(3)
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Establish a structured rotation schedule for
expanded, consistent, sector-specific surveys to collect comprehensive data on
key agricultural activities, including:

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(A)
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Agricultural theft;

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(B)
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Agricultural tourism;

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(C)
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Aquaculture;

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(D)
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Coffee;

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(E)
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Crop and livestock losses;

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(F)
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Farm technology;

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(G)
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Horticulture and nursery;

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(H)
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Livestock numbers and productivity;

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(I)
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Producer expansion;

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(J)
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Seed;

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(K)
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Tropical fruits;

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(L)
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Vegetables and melons; and

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(M)
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Other surveys as may be determined necessary.

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148-
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Exemption.
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Data and information collected by the
department for the purposes of this part or collected, compiled, and stored in
the agricultural statistics program shall be confidential and shall not be
subject to discovery or to disclosure under chapter 92F; provided that nothing
in this section shall preclude disclosure of the information in a statistical
or aggregate form that does not allow the identification of an individual
person or entity.
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The State shall not be
liable for any dissemination of information collected, compiled, or stored for
use in the agricultural statistics program.

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148-
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Collaboration; partnerships.
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The department of agriculture and biosecurity
may:

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(1)
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Collaborate with national and local entities,
including the following, to enhance data collection, analyses, and reporting
efforts:

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(A)
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The United States Department of Agriculture;

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(B)
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The United States National Agricultural
Statistics Service;

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(C)
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The United States Agricultural Marketing
Service;

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(D)
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The United States Bureau of Labor Statistics;

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(E)
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The University of Hawaii college of tropical agriculture
and human resilience;

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(F)
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The University of Hawaii economic research organization;
and

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(G)
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Other state agencies as needed; and

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(2)
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Establish partnerships with local producers,
transportation companies, aggregators, and distributors to facilitate the
electronic capture of and access to other data sets."

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SECTION
3.
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There is appropriated out of the
general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of
$ or so much
thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2026-2027 for the following
purposes:

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(1)
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$
for the establishment of full-time equivalent (
FTE) agricultural economist positions;

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(2)
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$
for the establishment of full-time equivalent (
FTE) research statistician positions;

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(3)
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$
for the establishment of secured office space, equipment, the development of
electronic data collection systems, and program expenses for six islands; and

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(4)
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$
for contracted specialty surveys to be conducted by third-party entities,
focusing on critical agricultural data needs.

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The sum
appropriated shall be expended by the department of agriculture and biosecurity
for the purposes of this Act.

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SECTION 4.
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This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2026.

INTRODUCED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOA; Agricultural Statistics Program; Positions; Appropriation

Description:

Requires
the Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity to revitalize and enhance the Agricultural
Statistics Program to collect data on local agricultural interests.
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Appropriates funds.

The summary description
of legislation appearing on this page is for informational purposes only and is
not legislation or evidence of legislative intent.