Maui’s tropical specialty fruits include mangos, papaya, star fruit, lychee, pineapple and etc. In 2007, Maui produced and sold 2.3 million pounds of fresh fruit. Value of sales is estimated at 4.5 million dollars in 2007. Area devoted to specialty tropical fruits totaled in 1,470 acres in 2007.
The plantation in Maui has played an important part in the history of the island. Laborers imported to work on the plantations from Japan, China, the Philippines, and other Asian countries made up the ethnic melting pot that is integral to today’s Hawaiian culture and heritage. The cash crops of sugar cane and pineapples established the economic foundation and commerce of all the islands, and today many old Maui plantations play an important role in preserving the natural beauty and ecosystems that make Hawaii so beautiful and unique.
This 60-acre working Maui plantation with beautiful views of the Haleakala Crater cultivates numerous kinds of tropical fruits and flowers that have traditionally been the island’s most important cash crops. You pay a modest fee for the narrated Maui Plantation tour that drives you around in an open-sided tram that is shaded from the tropical sun. You will see fields of papaya, guava, mango, macadamia nuts, coffee plants, avocados, bananas, sugar cane, star fruit, and more. You will learn how to husk a coconut and learn about the origins and cultivation of much of the food you eat every day. This is one of the most fascinating Maui tours you can take. Coming home you will know how to tell which pineapple in the supermarket is over ripen, you will also learn how to husk a coconut, and how much water is required to produce a single pound of sugar.
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