Hawai'i's fresh papaya production totaled 2.5 million pounds in March, down 7 percent from February, but up 7 percent from March 2007, according to the local office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

More than half of the March harvest — 1.3 million pounds — was shipped out of state.

Cumulative sales for the first three months of the year totaled 8.1 million pounds, up 18 percent from the same period a year earlier.

Papaya growers were expected to receive 50 cents a pound for fresh fruit in March, 7 cents a pound more than February and 3 cents a pound more than the same month a year ago.

Orchards experienced mostly sunny and dry weather in March, the NASS said. Growers able to catch up on their regular field maintenance schedules. Increased efforts were made to control the aphid population, to limit the spread of the papaya ringspot virus during the warm and dry period.