Guide

Above you will find an updated resource guide for Hawaii’s Agriculture Industry from Senator Hirono.

It is very similar to the last one but provides updated information (since April 27th) on available federal relief. In it you will find updated information about USDA’s Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP), SBA Programs (both PPP and EIDL/EEIG), Residential Mortgage Provisions, and Federal Tax Provisions.

As programs are dynamic and details are subject to change, this guide provides links to websites where you can access up-to-date information from the relevant federal agencies. 

Beginning last week, members of the Hawai'i Coffee Association worked with the Oregon Coffee Board to create a "Coffee Industry COVID-19 Playbook". Because each state and county has adopted different measures and guidelines, we have created this Playbook specifically for cafes & roasteries reopening this month in Hawai'i as others have adopted the same outlines for their regions. This document is provided to all members of HCA and we wholly encourage you to share it with your fellow coffee colleagues within the state, including all staff and employees of cafes and roasteries. In it, you will find useful information regarding Tips for Business Owners, Relief Package Updates, New Sales Channels, Cafe & Roastery Guidelines, Workers' Rights, Unemployment Information and much more.

Date: Wednesday, June 3, 2020 (For Stakeholders and the Public)
Time: 2 PM Eastern

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is making available up to $1 billion in loan guarantees to help rural businesses meet their working capital needs during the coronavirus pandemic. Additionally, agricultural producers that are not eligible for USDA Farm Service Agency loans may receive funding under USDA Business & Industry (B&I) CARES Act Program provisions included in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

B&I CARES Act Program loans must be used as working capital to prevent, prepare for or respond to the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. The loans may be used only to support rural businesses, including agricultural producers, that were in operation on Feb. 15, 2020.

The Department began accepting applications on May 22, 2020. Applications must be received no later than midnight Eastern Daylight Time on September 15, 2021, or until funds are expended. Program funding expires Sept. 30, 2021.

Eligible applicants may contact their local USDA Rural Development State Office in the state where the project is located.

Eligible Program Applicants: Federal or State-Chartered Banks, Savings and Loans, Farm Credit Banks, Credit Unions

Webinar Topics: Program and Application Requirements, Program Resources, Guidance on How to Apply.

Who Should Attend:

Rural Lenders, Stakeholders and the General Public

Register Here

Aloha HCA Members and Friends,

We hope this message finds you well.

We are trying to measure the impacts of COVID 19 on Hawaii’s Coffee industry.

Please help us by completing the survey questions below. We need to understand the scope of the impacts so that we can best access and advocate for relief.

Thank you for your prompt attention.

Stay well,

Christopher A. Manfredi
President
Hawaii Coffee Association
president@hawaiicoffeeassoc.org

Aloha!

The Covid-19 virus pandemic has had multiple impacts on people and their families within the farming and agriculture networks in Hawaii, some more significantly than others.  Please tell us how this pandemic has affected you and your families.

Your participation will help us identify where help is needed, and how we can best assist individuals and families in the community with which the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources works or partners.  

Here is the web link for the online survey.  It takes about 15 minutes to complete.

 

The survey will close on Friday, June 5 at noon.

 

Mahalo!

Michael Cheang

Associate Professor

Human Development & Family Studies 

Department of Family & Consumer Sciences

College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources

cheang@hawaii.edu

(808) 956-2252

 

Lynn Yamashita

Lecturer

Human Development & Family Studies 

Department of Family & Consumer Sciences

College of Tropical Agriculture & Human Resources 

georgia@hawaii.edu

(808) 956-0803

Original Source of the Article

The purpose is to reimburse small businesses for costs incurred from business interruption due to Emergency Proclamations and help small businesses implement safety precautions to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The City and County of Honolulu has been allocated funds under the Coronavirus Relief Fund, with Federal guidance that authorizes application of a portion of these funds for expenses associated with the provision of economic support in connection with the COVID-19 public health emergency.

The fund will be called “Small Businesses Relief and Recovery Fund” or SBRRF, to provide grants to small businesses affected by the COVID-19 public health emergency and provide one-time grants of $10,000 to each qualified business. Beneficiaries of this Relief Fund would include businesses greatly injured by the ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency such as boutiques, food establishments, accommodations, entertainment and recreation establishments, personal care services, auto transportation, retail businesses, and other businesses

The City and County of Honolulu through the Office of Economic Development (OED) will partner with participating local credit unions who will distribute the grant funds.

The partner Credit Unions are:

·        Aloha Pacific Federal Credit Union

·        Hawaii State Federal Credit Union

·        Hawaii USA Federal Credit Union

·        Honolulu Federal Credit Union

Read the full press release here.

Guidelines, Application, and other details will be added on this website as they become available. The program will launch on Monday, May 18th.

Original Source of the Article

The National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC) and the Pacific Urban Resilience Lab (PURL) at the University of Hawaii, supported by the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and community partners, conducts research and develops training courses for first responders and emergency mangers. They are conducting this brief survey on the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Hawaii. The information from this survey will be used to understand the spread and impacts of the infection. WE ENCOURAGE ALL RESIDENTS TO TAKE OR RETAKE THE SURVEY AS CIRCUMSTANCES MAY HAVE CHANGED. We hope that you can help to distribute the questionnaire more widely. They need to hear more from neighbor island communities and from high risk and under-represented groups. The questionnaire will take about 10 minutes to complete and your participation is Voluntary.

For more information about the survey see the attached PDF.

Here is the SURVEY.

If you have any question regarding this research project, please contact:

Eric Yamashita (ericyama@hawaii.edu)
Jiwnath Ghimire (jiwnath@hawaii.edu)
National Disaster Preparedness Training Center
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawaii at Manoa
2424 Maile Way, Honolulu, Hawaii 96822, USA.
Phone number: 808-956-5007

Mahalo,

Marcia Yoshiyama
Marcia Yoshiyama
Economic Development Technician
County of Hawaii
Department of Research and Development
25 Aupuni Street, Room 1301Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Hilo, Hawai‘i 96720
Direct Line: (808) 961-8085
Email: Marcia.Yoshiyama@hawaiicounty.gov

The following pamphlet, called “A Guide for Our Community,” was developed to provide information of what programs are available, including financial assistance, food assistance, medical assistance, help for seniors and other resources. 

If you are an essential business that is open at this time and would like to provide the guide to your customers and staff, please email chresdev@hawaiicounty.gov with your mailing address and the number of copies, and we will mail you copies.

Find help for your small business at  www.hawaiicounty.gov/covidbusinesshelp

WASHINGTON – U.S. Small Business Administration Administrator Jovita Carranza announced today that agricultural businesses are now eligible for SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and EIDL Advance programs. SBA’s EIDL portal will reopen today as a result of funding authorized by Congress through the Paycheck Protection Program and Healthcare Enhancement Act. The legislation, signed into law by the President one week ago, provided additional funding for farmers and ranchers and certain other agricultural businesses affected by the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“For more than 30 years, SBA has been prohibited by law from providing disaster assistance to agricultural businesses; however, as a result of the unprecedented legislation enacted by President Trump, American farmers, ranchers and other agricultural businesses will now have access to emergency working capital,” said Administrator Carranza. “These low-interest, long-term loans will help keep agricultural businesses viable while bringing stability to the nation’s vitally important food supply chains.”

Agricultural businesses include businesses engaged in the legal production of food and fiber, ranching, and raising of livestock, aquaculture, and all other farming and agricultural related industries (as defined by section 18(b) of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 647(b)). Eligible agricultural businesses must have 500 or fewer employees.

The SBA will begin accepting new EIDL applications on a limited basis only, in order to provide unprecedented relief to U.S. agricultural businesses. For agricultural businesses that submitted an EIDL loan application through the streamlined application portal prior to the legislative change, SBA will move forward and process these applications without the need for re-applying. All other EIDL loan applications that were submitted before the portal stopped accepting new applications on April 15 will be processed on a first-in, first-out basis.

To prepare your application, review this webinar on EIDL and reference this helpful tutorial video that walks through the application process, step by step.

For more information, please visit: www.sba.gov/Disaster.

Original Source of the Article

Release Date: Tuesday, April 28, 2020

Release Number: 20-35

Contact: Press_Office@sba.gov, (202) 205-7036

WASHINGTON – U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin and U.S. Small Business Administrator Jovita Carranza issued the following statement today on the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP):

“The Paycheck Protection Program is providing critical support to millions of small businesses and tens of millions of hardworking Americans.

“We have noted the large number of companies that have appropriately reevaluated their need for PPP loans and promptly repaid loan funds in response to SBA guidance reminding all borrowers of an important certification required to obtain a PPP loan.  To further ensure PPP loans are limited to eligible borrowers, the SBA has decided, in consultation with the Department of the Treasury, that it will review all loans in excess of $2 million, in addition to other loans as appropriate, following the lender’s submission of the borrower’s loan forgiveness application.  Regulatory guidance implementing this procedure will be forthcoming.

“We remain fully committed to ensuring that America’s workers and small businesses get the resources they need to get through this challenging time.”

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