Posted on: Tuesday, January 28, 2003

Canada to accept Hawai'i's genetically modified papaya

By Kevin Dayton
Advertiser Big Island Bureau

HILO, Hawai'i — As expected, the Canadian government has announced it will accept genetically modified papaya exported from Hawai'i, a step that may provide a boost for Big Island farmers.

About 75 percent of the papaya grown on the Big Island is a genetically engineered strain designed to resist the ringspot virus, a plant pest that ruined crops in the early 1990s.

The Hawai'i Papaya Industry Association announced yesterday that Karen Dodds, director general of the food directorate of Health Canada, notified the association that the Rainbow and Sunup varieties are acceptable for human consumption in Canada. The genetically engineered papaya have been shipped to the U.S. Mainland for sale since 1998. Papaya growers are hoping for similar approvals from the Japanese government.