Hawaii native Alberto Belmes is worried his Papayas will likely rot on the trees of is 100-acre papaya farm, as sales have plummeted.
Papaya sales have been cut in half in the past few weeks, and Belmes attributes the drop to Hawaii’s polemic debate over biotech crops that has recently reached a fevered pitch. The high-profile debate is stirring unsubstantiated fears and anxiety about the fruit that farmers like Belmes grow and sell to make a living.
There is little doubt that the farmers themselves are trapped in the crossfire of a much larger battle — one that could be caricatured as greedy frankenfood-makers versus capitalism-hating environmental utopionists — that shows no signs of abating.
Read full, original article here: Papaya Nightmares: A Farmer Struggles Amid Hawaii’s GMO Debate