Latest news with #PlantsandAnimalsDeclarationForm
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Digital agriculture form will expand after pilot
Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke announced Thursday that the state plans to expand the Akamai Arrival program to additional flights throughout the year, allowing more travelers entering Hawaii to complete a digitized version of the Department of Agriculture's Plants and Animals Declaration Form. Luke said during a media conference at the state Capitol that the pilot phase of the program ended with an average 74 % compliance rate, compared with under 60 % for the previous, paper-only system. She said the Akamai Arrival initiative is a key component of the state's broader effort to modernize government serv ices, protect local agriculture and improve the travel experience for both visitors and returning residents. Sharon Hurd, Department of Agriculture chair, said the new program is a vital part of Hawaii's biosecurity system. 'Biosecurity is critical to protecting our local agriculture, environment and way of life, ' Hurd said. 'By moving to a digital platform, we can more effectively identify potential threats and respond quickly to protect Hawaii from invasive species.' The pilot, which launched March 1 and ends May 31, was implemented on 30 % of incoming flights across more than 100 routes. The program has increased the number of travelers who are filling out the mandatory agricultural form before entering Hawaii ; however, it drew criticism from those who relied on the data provided by the form's optional tourism questions, which were eliminated during the pilot. Jennifer Chun, director of tourism research for the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, said the pilot initially eliminated access to tourism data from arriving Southwest flights, all American flights, five Alaska flights, one Delta flight, two Hawaiian flights and two United flights. DBEDT Director James Ku nane Tokioka said in an email that DBEDT is now receiving data from the Akamai Arrival Program, so 'all the data are comparable to the past and the comparisons are valid.' Tokioka said DBEDT's Research and Economic Analysis Division restored the international passenger counts as of May 1, and on May 5 resumed the reporting of domestic data, albeit with a one-week delay. 'DBEDT is in the process of finalizing the (memorandum of understanding ) with the Department of Agriculture. The passenger data from DOA is consistent with the data that DBEDT has collected in the past, ' he said, adding that there is a request for quotes to create a digital tourism survey with a target to start in June. Luke did not specify a timeline to convert all flights to the digitized form, but Tokioka said DBEDT is planning for the future when the Plants and Animals Declaration Form becomes 100 % digital. Once that occurs, he said, 'DBEDT has two options to collect the domestic visitor data : one, switch domestic visitor data collection to an airport departure survey ; two, digitize the tourism survey form.' Tokioka said DBEDT is planning a pilot program to test the effectiveness of the two methods. The initiative was authorized under Act 196 and has been touted by state leaders including Gov. Josh Green, Luke and Sen. Glenn Wakai (D, Kalihi-Salt Lake-Pearl Harbor ) as a significant step toward modernizing Hawaii's bio security efforts. Wakai, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs, said he started advocating for a digital agricultural form five years ago and initially was met with resistance, until 2024 when lawmakers passed a law encouraging the migration from paper to an app. He said ending the in-flight paper agricultural form would save at least $800, 000 annually, but more important, digitization increases completion rates and strengthens protections against invasive species. Passengers typically would complete the digitized form in advance of boarding their flight. Luke said the Akamai Arrival platform was developed using internal resources, with no additional cost to taxpayers. She said the digital form, which is accessible up to five days before departure, is available in six languages, and as the program expands, more languages will be added to accommodate non-English-speaking travelers. For updates and more information, visit.
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Hawaii to launch digitized Agriculture Declaration Form
GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form. 1 /2 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form. GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background. 2 /2 GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background. GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, left, and designer David Shepard presented the new digital interface of Akamai Arrival during a news conference Monday at Daniel K. Ino uye International Airport, where Gov. Josh Green announced the March launch of a pilot program to digitize the Plants and Animals Declaration Form. GEORGE F. LEE / GLEE @ State Sen. Glenn Wakai, left, inspected the live examples of invasive species on display. Gov. Green is shown in the background. The digitization of Hawaii's Plants and Animals Declaration Form is set to be launched in March under the Akamai Arrival pilot program, state leaders announced Monday. The initiative, authorized under Act 196 during the previous legislative session, represents a significant step toward modernizing the state's biosecurity efforts by improving form completion rates and enhancing protections against invasive species. The pilot program will run from Saturday through May 31, concentrating exclusively on ensuring compliance with the new digital technology. While the state intends to add tourism-related checks into the digital process in the future, the current initiative will primarily enhance the review of travelers' agricultural declarations. Beginning Saturday, the pilot program, overseen by the state Department of Agriculture, will be implemented on select domestic flights in collaboration with major airlines including Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Hawaiian Airlines, Southwest Airlines and United Airlines. Participating airlines will integrate the digital form into their arrival processes, allowing passengers to submit their required agricultural declarations more efficiently before landing in Hawaii. 'It is a great relief to see this innovation. To have it be done electronically is going to be very positive. It's going to be helpful for our state, but most importantly, it's our biosecurity weapon, ' Gov. Josh Green said. 'We're taking this important step today to begin to modernize how we protect Hawaii and launch this Akamai Arrival pilot program.' Green emphasized that the initiative is not only focused on safeguarding agricultural security, but also aims to protect the overall ecosystem, which contributes to the health of local communities and beyond. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. The collaborative effort among Green, Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke, legislators, airline partners and stakeholders to modernize state processes aims to safeguard Hawaii's natural heritage. 'This is what government should be doing—utilizing technology to improve our state processes and better serve the public. Every one of us, whether coming home or traveling to Hawai 'i, is very familiar with filling out the paper agriculture form. By digitizing this form, we're making compliance easier for travelers while using technology to protect what makes Hawai 'i so special, ' Luke said. Airlines participating in the pilot have discretion over flight selection and implementation methods. The 'Akamai Arrival ' website will serve as a central hub for passengers, providing access to the digital form, flight information and an FAQ page to assist travelers. 'U.S. airlines play a critical role in connecting travelers to Hawai 'i, and the transition from paper to digital agriculture declaration forms is a significant step toward modernizing the travel experience, ' Sean Williams, Airlines for America vice president of state and local government affairs, said in a statement. 'We're proud to support the 'Akamai Arrival' program, making the arrival process more seamless and efficient for travelers.' Travelers should be aware that all arrivals from the mainland to Hawaii are required by state law to complete the Agriculture Declaration Form. Since its implementation in 1973, this form has been a critical tool in preventing the introduction of invasive species that threaten Hawaii's unique ecosystem. Failing to complete the form accurately or defacing it can result in serious consequences, as people who provide false information or neglect to declare prohibited or restricted items—including plants, animals and certain food products—face severe penalties. Violations could result in a misdemeanor charge with fines of up to $25, 000 and /or up to one year in prison. Furthermore, intentionally smuggling prohibited items, such as snakes or other invasive species, could escalate to a Class C felony, carrying a maximum penalty of $200, 000 and /or up to five years in prison. 'We are saying aloha to a 79-year-old process, ' said state Sen. Glenn Wakai, who chairs the Senate Committee on Energy and Intergovernmental Affairs. 'The AG form was introduced to the state of Hawaii in 1946. We've been addicted to the paper for all of that time. Ridiculous. … I engaged the Department of Agriculture to figure out how we can digitize this paper AG form. To be honest, they were very reluctant for a number of years, and they told me to force them to do it. So I said, 'All right, I'm gonna change the law.'' According to Wakai, Hawaii boasts the best tourism data in the nation, largely due to its long-standing requirement for travelers to complete the Agriculture Declaration Form. Since the introduction of tourism-related information in the 1950s, the form has provided valuable insights into the effectiveness of marketing efforts. While the current pilot program focuses on agricultural compliance, Wakai assured that the tourism aspect will not be overlooked ; it will soon be integrated into the digital format, ensuring that essential data continues to be collected. Monthly progress updates will be shared with participating airlines, and data collected will help determine potential expansions of the program in the future. Travelers are encouraged to consult their airline carriers for specific details about how to complete the digital form, which might involve options for pre-arrival completion, including check-in reminders or in-flight Wi-Fi access.
