The Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers has announced the recipients of its appreciation awards, given annually to supporters of the state’s tropical fruit industry.
They are Robert Paull of the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources; Roberto Coronel of the RC Fruit Conservation Farm in the Philippines; Frank and Lynn Sekiya of Frankie’s Nursery on Oahu; Bob and Susi Hamilton, founding members of HTFG and owners of Plant it Hawaii on the Big Isle, and Lelan Nishek of Kauai Nursery and Landscaping.
Recipients were recognized at the recent 22nd annual Hawaii International Tropical Fruit Conference that opened on Oahu and continued on Maui, Kauai, Hilo and Kona.
“Each of our award recipients have gone out of their way to help Hawaii’s fruit industry prosper,” notes Ken Love, HTFG president. “The Sekiyas have been responsible for hundreds of plant introductions into Hawaii that help growers become more sustainable.”
Nishek is cited for continually supporting HTFG and its mission with generous donations of time, product and funding. Love says the Hamiltons are being lauded for “their dedication in producing quality trees and marketing quality fruit.”
Coronel, a keynote speaker at the recent HTFG conference, is an award-winning supporter of the Philippine fruit industry and has done multiple research projects on tropical fruit. At his RC Farm, he has planted 220 edible fruit and nut species from the tropical regions of the world, plus 136 registered fruit varieties.
The Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers was incorporated in 1989 to promote tropical fruit grown in Hawaii. HTFG is a statewide association of tropical fruit growers, packers, distributors and hobbyists dedicated to tropical fruit research, education, marketing and promotion; http://www.hawaiitropicalfruitgrowers.org.
