[scheme271]

Sugarcane was due to cheaper sources. Pineapples I think was due to economic factors as well. Basically, one of the most isolated population centers in the world adds a lot of cost due to shipping things in and out and being a US state imposes means that labor isn't going to be dirt cheap.

[jnsaff2]

Also Jones Act: ships from Asia can't pick up cargo from Hawaii on the way and drop it in mainland US. This means that shipping between Hawaii and mainland is much more expensive then it needs to be.

[scheme271]

The Jones Act doesn't affect shipping prices all that much. If you look at the shipping lanes, the shortest and best shipping routes between Asia and the west coast travels by Alaska. Going to Hawaii adds multiple days and thousands of miles to the route. Also, the harbors in Hawaii aren't equipped to handle the large container ships used for trans-pac shipping routes so the cargo ships couldn't stop in Honolulu even if they wanted to. Finally, the Jones Act allows ships coming from Asia to stop in Hawaii to drop off cargo and then continue on to the west coast to unload the rest of their cargo, this doesn't really happen.

[jnsaff2]

Studies seem to disagree.

https://www.grassrootinstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/0...

Also the OP suggested that Hawaiian production is on decline so shipping from Hawaii to mainland is the issue.

[scheme271]

The grassroots institute is an explicitly right-wing/libertarian organization that advocates for their preferred policies. So take their studies with that in mind.

However, the Jones act doesn't really have much of an impact compared to the significantly higher cost of labor in the US compared to brazil and india. Also the US got rid of alot of sugar subsidies, and import controls which essentially made sugar growing aside for some specialized situations infeasible.

[Spooky23]

The Jones act has to be one of the most destructive stupid laws that we have.

[stackskipton]

Not really, it makes sense from point of view if you want to have an empire, you need a merchant marine to move things around by sea on ships you control.

Jones Act doesn't accomplish what it's supposed to do but that's mainly because it was weak protectionism. Many other countries just shovel government money into their shipbuilding at rates that would probably make many just as angry.

[marcosdumay]

I can believe it would make lots of people just as angry. But I really doubt policies like the ones from China or South Korea have an impact near as large as the US's.

It doesn't help that the US is full of non-contiguous territory separated by deep ocean. Other countries have similar laws but aren't as impacted.