The 31st Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference will be held on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 8 and 9, at the Maui County Business Resource Center.
The 2021 Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers (HTFG) Conference, “Mango Makers and Food Preservers,” will be both in-person and virtual and will continue with mini-sessions and tours in Molokai, Oahu, Kauai, Hilo and Kona from Sunday, Oct. 10, through Thursday, Oct. 14.
“The 2021 conference offers a lineup of visiting researchers and agro experts sharing information and leading engaging breakout sessions on a variety of fruit-related topics,” Fern Gavalek of HTFG said, according to a press release. “Attendees will be able to log into discussions on the Tatura trellis system, avocados, advanced dehydration and canning methods, propagation techniques and unusual fruits with future economic potential.”
Apart from the support of its members throughout the state, the conference is also backed by the Hawaii Department of Agriculture and the County of Kauai. Early registration is now open with forms available on Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers’ website. An RSVP is also required for the Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers annual dinner on Friday, Oct. 8.
“Steve Brady will give the keynote, ‘The World of Mangoes,’ with Jane Tai and HTFG Executive Director Ken Love offering a presentation on ‘Processing and Utilizing Your Fruit to Develop Award-Winning, Value-Added Products,’" according to HTFG’s press release. “A tour with farmer Jordan Longman at the HTFG Repository will cover fruit fly trap making and pruning techniques utilized in Australia and Japan.”
HTFG is a nonprofit organization that was incorporated in 1989 with the aim of promoting tropical fruit in Hawaii.
It conducts and funds research, provides education through its annual International Tropical Fruit Conference, as well as workshops and seminars throughout the year, according to the HTFG website.
HTFG participates in the Hawaii Farm Bureau's Commodity Advisory Group and promotes its members, especially commercial growers, through HTFG's Commercial Directory that is distributed to allied members of the fruit industry.