LIHU‘E — For the first time in its 42-year history, the Hawai‘i Crop Improvement Association will hold its annual meeting on Kaua‘i. The HCIA is comprised of five member companies — Syngenta, BASF, DOW, Pioneer and Monsanto. Today’s conference at
LIHU‘E — For the first time in its 42-year history, the Hawai‘i Crop Improvement Association will hold its annual meeting on Kaua‘i.
The HCIA is comprised of five member companies — Syngenta, BASF, DOW, Pioneer and Monsanto. Today’s conference at the Kaua‘i Marriott Resort and Beach Club in Lihu‘e is not open to the public.
The conference is described as an informal meeting for about 150 industry executives and employees based on the Hawaiian Islands, according to HCIA President Mark Phillipson of Syngenta Seeds. It is not a platform to present new science or corporate business.
“This will not be anything new, but more of a reiteration of what we already know,” Phillipson said. “We are excited about it because a large group of our members live on Kaua‘i, and we are glad that we’re able to host them.”
There are no lengthy business meetings, surprises or celebratory events or awards, he said. It’s basically a one-day meeting with nothing new or novel.
“It’s the opportunity for our members to network and get together and just talk to each other about issues that are facing them, the successes that they’ve had and just general social catching up,” Phillipson said. “It’s a chance to find out is someone got a new position, and meet the new family members.”
The keynote speaker is scheduled to be Dennis Gonsalves, who will present on The Rainbow Papaya: Hawai‘i’s GMO Success Story. The breakout sessions include responsible pesticide use and integrated pest management policies and practices; best agricultural practices; and dispelling myths and fallacies about the seed industry through community engagement.
The conference comes a few days before an anti-GMO rally scheduled on Kuhio Highway in front of the Kapa‘a shopping center from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
“We rally to protect our food supply, support local farmers, be aware of the harmful effects of gmo foods, promote organic solutions, and expose the cronyism between big business and the government,” according to a press release from GMO Free Kaua’i.
The HCIA was formed in 1971 by Dr. James Brewbaker of the University of Hawai‘i College of Agriculture’s Corn Research Program on Moloka‘i. It is now a nonprofit trade association representing the seed industry in Hawai‘i.
For the past 42 years the annual conferences have been a source of camaraderie for people in a shared industry. It is not unlike the hotels getting together for a tourism industry conference, Phillipson said.
