The Hawaii basil industry is booming, with nearly 18 million pounds harvested in 2024 and a value just under $43 million, according to the state agriculture department. That makes basil the state’s fifth most valuable agricultural commodity and puts the crop ahead of several long-standing icons of Hawaiʻi farming.
Industry totals show the herb is now three times larger than the combined local banana and papaya sectors. Growers have increased output and value by more than 50% since 2019, even as basil is cultivated on fewer than 500 acres statewide.
Hawaii basil industry outpaces other crops
Basil trails only algae, coffee, cattle and seed crops among Hawaiʻi’s top earners. Despite its relatively small footprint compared with the 16,000-acre, $30 million macadamia industry, basil’s rapid growth has pushed it into the upper tier of agricultural revenue for the islands.
Exports account for the overwhelming majority of sales. Of the 2024 harvest, only about 92,000 pounds, or 0.5%, were sold in local markets. Most of the crop was shipped to the U.S. mainland and Canada, where steady demand has helped lift prices.
Hawaiʻi’s warm, year-round growing conditions support continuous production. Seasonal demand often exceeds supply, which can drive prices higher, according to the state Department of Agriculture and Biosecurity.
“It has always been a money maker,” former state agriculture director Scott Enright said, noting strong returns dating back more than a decade.
Italian sweet leads export prices
Italian and Thai basil are the primary varieties grown. For the past five years, export prices have typically run at least 40 cents per pound higher than what local buyers pay, according to the state’s agricultural statistics branch. In 2024, Italian sweet basil fetched about $2.71 per pound for export, compared with $1.91 for Thai basil. Italian sweet generated more than $28.3 million, nearly double the roughly $14 million value of Thai basil.
Growth amid a small footprint
The Hawaii basil industry has expanded even with only a slight increase in acreage. Statewide basil acreage rose from 466 to 493 between 2019 and 2024. Over the same period, total value climbed from about $28 million to nearly $43 million, while production increased from roughly 6,350 tons to more than 9,000 tons.
Past labor and pesticide violations
The sector has faced scrutiny. In 2014, the U.S. Department of Labor fined Fat Law’s Farm on Oʻahu $460,000 for failing to meet health and safety standards and for paying workers less than the federal minimum wage, in cash.
In 2015, the state Department of Health ordered Waiʻanae farm Wong Hon Hin to destroy its crops after unacceptable levels of pesticide residue were found on its Thai basil.
Despite those incidents, the latest numbers reflect a strong upward trajectory for basil production and value, positioning the herb as one of Hawaiʻi agriculture’s most reliable earners. Related sectors, such as Hawaii cattle shipments, are also seeing increased demand on the U.S. mainland.
