Posted on: Friday, October 29, 2004

Aloun boosts pumpkin harvest

Advertiser Staff

There are plenty of pumpkins for Halloween this year, with the state's only commercial pumpkin grower reporting a bumper crop.

For the fourth season, Aloun Farms is offering local pumpkins of several varieties to local stores and directly to consumers. In the process, the Kapolei grower has introduced a new crop that is helping to diversify the state's agriculture sector.

Growing demand for pumpkins spurred Aloun to boost this season's harvest to 114 acres, compared with 83 acres last year. A record 15,000 children have toured the patch this year on school field trips, said Jaime Ramirez, Aloun Farms administrator. "It's been a good thing in the business side," he said. "We didn't start it that way. It was for the kids. But we're very happy it turned out that way."

Two years ago, an estimated 30,000 pumpkins at Aloun Farms rotted after heavy rain prevented them from being harvested.

Farm-level sales of pumpkins statewide generated $160,000 in 2002, the most recent year with available data, according to the Hawaii Agricultural Statistics Service.

Saturday and Sunday are the final days for the public to pick gourds at the farm's pumpkin patch at 91-1440 Farrington Highway in Kapolei. Admission is $1 for adults and children under age 5 get in free. Pumpkin prices vary by size. For more information check www.alounfarms.com or call 677-9516.