Pineapple was once called the king of crops in Hawai'i. By that they meant pineapple fields covered the face of the land with only the bent over shapes of immigrants working the fields to interrupt the orderly rows. Those fields provided work for many a laborer from China, Japan, and the Philippines.
But as the times changed, and the land itself became more valuable than the pineapples grown on it and foreign competition drove pineapple prices down, it became more and more difficult to justify planting pineapples.
So, although it was a sad day, it should not have come as a surprise that Del Monte announced yesterday that after 100 years here, it was shutting down pineapple growing operations in Hawai'i .
Over 700 workers will have to find other employment as Del Monte phases out its operations. However, there is interest in the land from another company that may use it for other agricultural purposes (no, not Kona Gold). Agriculture in the islands has had to diversify to survive. Right now, coffee, cocoa, grapes for wine, macadamia nuts, and a host of other crops are being grown in our rich soils.
That said, it is doubtful that any one crop will once again reign as king, but perhaps it is for the better.
Aloha!
