Posted at 10:44 p.m., Friday, July 13, 2007
Japan approves importation of Hawai'i anthurium
Advertiser Staff
The Japanese government has approved the importation of potted anthuriums from Hawai'i under certain conditions, the Hawai'i Department of Agriculture announced today."This is great news for Hawai'i anthurium growers," Gov. Linda Lingle said in a written statement. The state had worked for 13 years to open the Japanese market to local anthuriums.
"It has been an extraordinarily dedicated effort by our state agriculture officials, their colleagues at (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) and the Japan government to establish this important agreement that will allow our premier potted anthuriums to be sold in Japan," Lingle said.
Under the agreement, nurseries exporting anthuriums to Japan must be certified by the state as being free from the burrowing nematode, a pest that affects many agricultural products. Potted anthuriums must also be shipped to Japan in a soil-free medium, such as peat, sphagnum, vermiculite or volcanic cinder.
