Hawaiçi papaya growers produced an estimated 2.3 million pounds of the fruit in August, down 4 percent from 2.4 million pounds in the same month a year ago, according to the local office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Relatively heavy rainfall earlier this year contributed to the reduced harvest in August. Weather in August was mainly dry, which helped young plantings do well that will contribute to future production.
For the first eight months of the year, papaya production totaled 19.8 million pounds, down 3 percent from the same period a year earlier.
Papaya growers received an estimated 46 cents a pound for fresh fruit in August, 1 cent higher than in July, but 3.4 cents a pound lower than in August 2008.