It's premature to ban green coffee beans

Rep. Bob Herkes, who represents the Big Island's Kona district, has introduced a resolution that proposes restricting, or if necessary banning, the importation of green coffee beans into Hawai'i.

Three months ago, Herkes proposed a similar measure that would make it illegal to import green coffee into the state. That died in committee, and the latest measure has been deferred, though not necessarily indefinitely.

Both measures cite concerns about such invasive species as green scale, Kona coffee root-knot nematode, coffee berry disease, beetles and medfly.

It's perfectly prudent to be concerned about invasive species. But it hasn't yet been established that imported green coffee beans pose a threat.

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