Hawaiʻi’s genetically modified seed industry has been on the decline for at least a decade, but it is still worth more financially than any other agricultural commodity in the state.

Seeds emerged as the state’s strongest cash crop as pineapple and sugarcane production began declining on the islands in the 1990s, with seed values peaking at $241.6 million in 2011.

By fiscal year 2015, that value had dropped to $144.5 million and now the industry is worth $112 million, according to new U.S. Department of Agriculture data. But while the industry has declined overall, the crop’s per-acre value has skyrocketed over the past decade.

The increasing value reflects national price trends, which saw both conventional and genetically modified seed prices soar. Prices for GMO seeds, like those produced in Hawaiʻi by global agribusinesses, increased by 700% from 2000 to 2020.

Meanwhile, Hawaiʻi’s share has increased by 250% in the past 10 years. Each acre of land used for seed cultivation is worth about $127,000 in the Aloha State, compared to $36,000 in fiscal 2015.

There has been a 77% drop in acreage used to produce seeds in Hawai‘i, falling from 3,980 acres to 880. The industry’s overall value in Hawai‘i during the same period fell from $144.5 million in fiscal 2015 to $122 million this year.

The increased value per acreage is thanks to technological advances, which have led to greater operational efficiencies in seed production, Hawaiʻi Crop Improvement Association spokesperson Laurie Yoshida said in an email. The advocacy group’s membership includes Bayer Hawaiʻi, Hartung Brothers and Corteva Agriscience.

Such advances have let producers “do more with less” and focus on “smaller, more strategic acreage while continuing to produce high-value crops,” Yoshida said.

Agricultural technology companies have long considered Hawaiʻi among the most ideal places in the world to develop new varieties of seeds, especially for drought tolerance and pest resistance. That is largely due to the year-round growing season.

But the companies have a fraught history in Hawaiʻi, castigated by surrounding communities over the use of pesticides and the associated negative health effects. In 2013, the Kauaʻi County Council attempted to force greater transparency from the companies, particularly around their pesticide usage. Maui tried to place a temporary moratorium on genetically modified crops but a federal judge in 2015 struck down the law voters created.

In 2021, Monsanto — now owned by Bayer — pleaded guilty to 30 environmental crimes related to its pesticide use on corn fields in Hawaiʻi and was required to pay $12 million.

“Hawai‘i Grown” is funded in part by grants from the Stupski Foundation, Ulupono Fund at the Hawai‘i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.

“Data Dive” is funded in part by the Will J. Reid Foundation.