Firm boosts Big Island agriculture

Associated Press

HILO — The Big Island's burgeoning agricultural export industry is getting a boost from FedEx, which has started daily flights delivering fresh flowers and fruit direct to Los Angeles.

A Boeing MD-11 cargo plane, which began loading agricultural products Monday at Hilo International Airport, will operate flights five days a week, said David Melnikov, the Big Island account agent for the Memphis, Tenn.-based FedEx Corp.

Before, cargo shipped via FedEx was flown in smaller planes to Honolulu, where it was transferred to other flights headed for the Mainland.

The 160,000-pound-capacity freighter can carry more fresh fruits, plants and flowers in less time, more often, more efficiently and with less handling to Mainland markets, Melnikov said. Its daily route will take it from Honolulu to Hilo to Los Angeles and Oakland before heading back to Honolulu.

The flights, which will be able to handle containers, skids and pallets, will also allow for "heavyweight service" from Hilo to Los Angeles, Melnikov said.

"Almost anything now can be shipped directly to Los Angeles, which is always a hot market for Hawai'i products," he said. "This is a huge new opportunity for FedEx and customers here."

Shippers of everything from fresh fish to large equipment will be able to take advantage of the new service, he said.

For many papaya growers and flower shippers it will mean shifting from barge to air shipments, significantly increasing the freshness of the products.

For nine years, FedEx has had a signed agreement to ship flowers with the Hawaii Florists and Shippers Association, which represents 400 florists and shippers statewide.