Hawai'i's crop of tropical specialty fruits last year fell an estimated 10 percent, although the harvest production was well above the five-year annual average.

Tropical fruit growers statewide harvested 2.1 million pounds of tropical specialty fruit last year, down from 2.3 million pounds a year before, according to the local field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service. However, the 2008 harvest compared favorably to the five-year annual average of 1.7 million pounds.

Industry sales totaled an estimated $4 million last year, down from $4.5 million in 2007. The five-year annual average was $3.2 million.

Tropical fruit growers last year farmed 1,480 acres, up 1 percent from 1,470 acres a year earlier, though only 970 acres were harvested in both years.

Rambutan, which was the state's biggest tropical specialty fruit crop in 2007 with 824,000 pounds harvested, fell by nearly half last year to 450,000 pounds. The five-year annual average harvest for rambutan was 415,800 pounds.

The drop in rambutan made mango last year's biggest crop, with 660,000 pounds harvested, down from 690,000 pounds a year earlier. The five-year annual average harvest for mangoes was 609,200 pounds.

Production for longan, the third-largest crop of tropical specialty fruit, totaled 310,000 pounds last year, up from 263,000 pounds in 2007. Increases also were reported in lychee and persimmon.

Also up was production in the category of "other" fruits, which includes abiu, breadfruit, caimito, canistel, cherimoya, durian, jaboticaba, jackfruit, langsat, loquat, mangosteen, poha, rollina, sapodilla, soursop, starfruit and white sapot.

The category of tropical specialty fruit does not include pineapple, papaya, banana or guava.