It was known throughout Polynesia that Hawaii was prime ground to grow sugar cane. Hawaiians used different types of sugar cane for foods, medicine, and cultural rituals. Hawaiians typically chewed on the stalk as a sweet treat or squeezed juice from the cane. Now, Hawaii s biggest buyer of sugar cane are people in the United States. The cane led to the plantation system of farming which is now prevalent in the islands.
Pineapple is the second biggest crop in Hawaii.
Don Francisco Marin, a Spanish farmer, brought the fruit trees to the island in the 1820s. They ve been a part of the culture ever since. Today, they are sold to U.S. merchants and to the Dole pineapple plant in Oahu. Dole actually owns the entire island of Lanai and farms pineapple there. Hawaii s climate is also ripe to grow rice.