HI HB1393

Establishes a new agricultural statistics program within the Department of Agriculture to collect, analyze, and report data on the movement of fresh fruit and vegetable products between and within the Hawaiian islands

Requires the department to develop electronic systems for tracking agricultural product movement and establish rotating sector-specific surveys covering topics including agricultural theft, agritourism, aquaculture, crop/livestock losses, farm technology, horticulture, and tropical fruits

Mandates collaboration with federal agencies (USDA, Bureau of Labor Statistics) and University of Hawaii entities, and allows partnerships with producers, transportation companies, and distributors for data collection

Protects collected agricultural data as confidential and exempt from public disclosure under Hawaii's open records law, while allowing release of statistical or aggregate information that does not identify individuals or entities

Appropriates unspecified general fund amounts for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 for agricultural economist and research statistician positions, office space, equipment, electronic data systems, and contracted specialty surveys across all Hawaiian islands