FROM PAGE ONE
H S AT U R D AY 3 / 3 1 / 1 8 > > H O N O L U L U S TA R - A D V E R T I S E R > >
FARM
Continued from A1
bad back. “My passion is
still agriculture, so I want to
have some say in it and the
farm.”
Okimoto has listed his
farm site for sale at $1.3 mil-
lion with commercial real es-
tate brokerage firm CBRE.
Sale proceeds would pay off
debt, which was pinching
Nalo Farms and stemmed
from a more than $1 million
investment in complying
early with federal farm food
safety requirements.
If Okimoto succeeds, it
will be the second time the
third-generation Hawaii
farmer restructures his busi-
ness in the face of potential
ruin.
Both Okimoto’s father and
grandfather were farmers in
Manoa, and the farm later
took root in Waimanalo.
Okimoto took over that farm
in 1983 when he was 29. At
that time basil was the main
crop, and Nalo Farms ex-
ported 10,000 to 12,000
pounds a month to the
mainland.
A crisis hit in 1989 when a
wilt-causing disease started
wiping out the crop. Okimoto
was motivated to quit.
DISPARITIES
Continued from A1
insurance program for
low-income people; food
stamps; and other forms of
assistance to several coun-
tries, including the Marshall
Islands, Federated States of
Micronesia and Palau, he
said.
“Hence migrants are un-
able to avail themselves of
even the normal types of
poverty relief that other Ha-
waii residents can receive,”
Chai said.
Meanwhile, Samoans,
Guamanians/Chamorros
and Tongans also had
higher poverty rates, lower
homeownership and signifi-
cantly larger households.
Okinawans, with a strong
network here in the islands,
are at the top for socioeco-
nomic well-being with the
lowest poverty and unem-
ployment rates at 3.2 per-
cent and 3.8 percent,
respectively, and highest
median household income
at $87,938.
“The Filipinos, Japanese,
Chinese, Caucasians, they
have been well established
as a community. Their eco-
nomic well-being is better in
terms of homeownership, in
terms of income and in
terms of many other eco-
nomic indicators,” said chief
state Economist Eugene
Tian. “But other Pacific is-
landers, they are relatively
new in Hawaii, and they are
also much younger.”
Native Hawaiians also had
higher poverty and lower
education rates. Only
16.4 percent of Hawaiians
have bachelor’s or graduate
degrees, compared with
41.4 percent of Okinawans.
Of the top five largest eth-
nic groups (white, Filipino,
Japanese, Native Hawaiian
and Chinese), Filipinos —
many of whom tend to live
in multigenerational families
— have the highest house-
hold income, while Native
Hawaiians have the lowest.
The median household in-
come in Hawaii was $69,515.
“The poverty has some-
thing to do with age. Hawai-
ians are also relatively
younger,” Tian said. “Be-
cause they’re so young, they
haven’t even completed
their education yet. They
have potential.”
As a whole, the state’s
homeownership rates were
among the lowest in the
nation, with an estimated
56.9 percent of homes occu-
pied by owners, compared
A7
called Okimoto, who has
been described as a celeb-
rity farmer. He also got into
manage imposing debt.
About two years ago Nalo
Farms ceased supplying
consulting and served as Whole Foods because of the
president of the Hawaii Farm audit costs, and that cut into
Bureau Federation. sales and forced a staff re-
Around 2008 Okimoto duction. The company still
leased the 14-acre state supplies Foodland, Don Qui-
property and more than jote and Tamura’s supermar-
quadrupled his farm produc- kets as well as 70 to 80
tion capacity. Around the restaurants.
same time, he decided to in- Nalo Farms’ annual reve-
vest in equipment and pro- nue, Okimoto said, is close
cedures to meet proposed to $1 million, but debt is a
federal food safety stan- problem. Okimoto contem-
dards required for major plated filing for bankruptcy,
farms to sell crops to but he said he didn’t want
retailers. that to be another blemish
Okimoto anticipated that on agriculture in Hawaii,
the federal rules, which where big names in the busi-
have been changing and still ness have folded in recent
are not mandatory, would years, including pork pro-
be in place by 2010 and that ducer Shinsato Farm, to-
STAR-ADVERTISER / APRIL 1997 his investment would give mato and banana grower
him an advantage. Instead, it Hamakua Springs and the
Nalo Farms grows an assortment of lettuces and other leafy vegetables that
became a liability. last sugar plantation in the
makes up the company’s trademarked Nalo Greens mix. Owner Dean Okimoto is
“I shot myself in the foot,” state, Hawaiian Commercial
pictured with greens on his Waimanalo farm with his daughter Leigh Okimoto.
he said. “I didn’t realize how & Sugar Co.
costly it would be.” Okimoto said he’s not
Instead of giving up, he what it was, no matter the to handle marketing and dis- There was a benefit for sure his survival plan will
took the advice of a then- quality, he said he would tribution for other small Ha- Nalo Farms in that national work, but added that he
new Hawaii restaurateur, buy it.” waii farmers trying to get grocery chains including won’t be forced into any fire
Roy Yamaguchi, who Nalo Farms began grow- their crops into the hands of Whole Foods were requiring sale of his family farm site,
opened Roy’s in Hawaii Kai ing an assortment of let- local chefs. farms to comply with the which excludes a neighbor-
only a year earlier and had tuces and other leafy Linking up with Yamagu- shifting federal standards. ing property where his
met Okimoto through vegetables that became the chi and other prominent Is- But they also required farms mother and brother live and
friends. company’s trademarked land Regional Cuisine chefs to pay for a mainland audi- plan to grow tomatoes in
“Roy told me to try and Nalo Greens mix. led to “phenomenal” experi- tor to verify compliance an- greenhouses using Japanese
grow greens,” Okimoto said Okimoto expanded sales ences including participa- nually, which presented technology.
in a 2001 Honolulu Adver- of his baby greens to more tion in events where guests an extra cost for Okimoto “Basically, we’re trying to
tiser interview. “No matter restaurants and also began paid $1,000 each to dine, re- while he was trying to start again,” he said.
POVERTY BY RACE GROUP
Among all ethnicities in Hawaii, Okinawans have the
lowest poverty rate while Marshallese have the highest:
PER CAPITA INCOME BY RACE GROUP
Japanese have the highest per capita income at $32,129,
while Marshallese have the lowest at $5,963, indicating
extreme racial disparities in Hawaii.
White
11.4% White
with 63.9 percent nation- $31,621
wide. Only three ethnic Filipino
9.4% Filipino
groups were above the
$21,403
national average in home- Japanese
ownership: Okinawans at 6.6% Japanese
77.3 percent, Japanese at $32,129
Native Hawaiian
73.6 percent and Chinese at 15.5% Native Hawaiian
64.1 percent. $20,664
The report put the me- Chinese
10.1% Chinese
dian age in the islands at 38. $26,274
The Japanese had the oldest African-American
median age at 43.9 years, 13.5% African-American
while the Marshallese had $23,496
Korean
the youngest at 18.5. 11.2% Korean
“We have the most diver- $26,185
Samoan
sified culture, work force, Samoan
20.4%
and life style among all the $14,757
states in the nation,” said American Indian and Alaska Native
DBEDT Director Luis Salave- 18.1% American Indian and Alaska Native
$21,095
ria in a news release. “This Vietnamese
gives us an advantage in 18.0% Vietnamese
terms of international trade $19,449
Marshallese
and tourism by supplying 51.1% Marshallese
the diversified work force $5,963
and providing a wide variety Okinawan
3.2% Okinawan
of food and cultural activi-
$30,747
ties. At the same time, there Chamorro
are more demand for gov- 9.0% Chamorro
ernment and private ser- $20,842
Tongan
vices, especially in the areas 16.2% Tongan
of education and health $12,131
Total population
care.” Total population
11.2%
The report is based on $29,822
the latest data available
10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%
from the U.S. Census Bu- $5,000 $10,000 $15,000 $20,000 $25,000 $30,000 $35,000
reau’s 2011-2015 American Source: State Department of Business,
Community Survey. Economic Development and Tourism STAR-ADVERTISER Source: State Department of Business,
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