Tuesday, 17 June 2025
The Hawaii Department of Agriculture (HDOA) recently filed a request for a specific exemption from the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to allow Hawaii coffee growers to use a fungicide to help manage coffee leaf rust (CLR), a fungus that is a serious threat to Hawaii’s $56 million coffee industry. On March 3, Gov. David Ige delegated the authority to submit the EPA emergency application to Hawai`i Board of Agriculture (Board) chairperson, Phyllis Shimabukuro-Geiser.
The fungicide, Priaxor Xemium, is not labeled by the EPA for specific use on coffee plants, but it is allowed for use to control fungi on leafy vegetables, strawberries, tomatoes, soybeans, wheat and many other crops. The manufacturer of the fungicide notified HDOA last week that they support the review by EPA on the use of the product on coffee plants.
Any use of Priaxor Xemium would not be allowable until EPA reviews and approves the application which could take up to 45 days. If the exemption is approved, the fungicide may be used for up to one year or until use on coffee plants is added to the product label by EPA and the product’s producer.
A multi-agency effort including HDOA, University of Hawaii’s College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources (UH-CTAHR) and the USDA Daniel K. Inouye Pacific Basin Agricultural Research Center and the Hawai`i coffee industry has been ramping up efforts to battle the disease on several fronts.
The Board has tentatively scheduled a virtual meeting for March 23rd to consider expanding the infested areas to include Lana`i and O`ahu and implementing the same restrictions on the movement of coffee plants, plant parts and other coffee-associated materials.
