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The state Department of Agriculture has opened a grant program to support the establishment and expansion of food hubs in Hawaii.

Proposals for the Food Hub Pilot Program are now being accepted for grants between $50,000 and $250,000 aimed at increasing the capacity of food hubs, which are centrally located facilities where food products may be aggregated, stored, processed and marketed.

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The pilot program was approved by the Legislature and Gov. David Ige in 2022 with an appropriation of $1.35 million.

“Most Hawaii farms are small operations and are not able to fill large orders from schools, hospitals, other institutions and businesses,” Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Board of Agriculture, said in a statement. “Food hubs provide a gathering point to pool produce from many farmers to fill large orders for locally grown produce.

“In addition, food hubs assist with the distribution, processing foods for added value, online sales and marketing which allows farmers to actually concentrate on what they do best — growing and producing more food,” Hurd said.

This DOA grant program is specifically for food hubs that are focused on food that is grown, raised or sourced within the state.

According to a Hawaii Food Hub Hui report, there were 14 food hubs in Hawaii in 2021 that employed about 200 employees and serviced 1,337 food producers with total sales of $14 million. Most food hubs provide emergency food distribution, and many support child and elderly nutrition programs.

In establishing the pilot program, DOA officials believe that support of food hubs will be integral in reaching local food purchasing goals set by statute. Act 175, which became law in 2021, mandated the state Department of Education to establish the goal to purchase at least 30% of food served in public schools from local sources by 2030.

Also that year, Act 176 required other state agencies (hospitals, correctional facilities, etc.) to increase the percentage of locally produced foods by 10% by 2025, 18% by 2030, 26% by 2035, 34% by 2040, 42% by 2045 and 50% by 2050.

To view the request for proposals and application information, go to the State Procurement Office website at: https://hands.ehawaii.gov/hands/opportunities/opportunity-details/22663.

The deadline to submit applications is noon on May 3. For further information, contact the DOA’s Market Development Branch at (808) 973-9627.