Houston, Texas – On Thursday, November 5, 2010, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved new rules permitting water spinach farming in Texas on the condition that growers obtain permits from the state. The new regulation is a compromising solution balancing economic and cultural interests of Asian Americans and environmental protection concerns.

“Although we had less than two weeks to assemble a state-wide coalition to work on this issue, by working together, we accomplished our goal – to successfully protect the right to grow and consume water spinach in Texas while at the same time, promote our shared responsibility to protect the environment,” Dr. Thang Nguyen, BPSOS Executive Director, stated.

The new rules will take effect in early January 2010. They set up a regulatory system to ensure that the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) can identify and monitor the points of origin of water spinach, and react quickly to protect native ecosystems in the event that water spinach is detected in the wild.

Under the new rules, growers are required to obtain an exotic species permit issued by TPWD. The rules establish standards for growing facilities, require facility inspections, impose recordkeeping and reporting requirements, and prescribe processing and packaging standards, including standards for transportation. The initial application fee for an exotic species permit from TPWD is $263 and the annual renewal fee is $27.

“We are happy to see that hundreds of growers families will not lose their farming business,” said Dr. Loc Huu Khuong, President of the Vietnamese American Chamber of Commerce in North Texas. “By working together, we can achieve real results and effectively protect our shared interests.”

Just a few weeks earlier, facing the possibility of water spinach being banned in Texas, Asian American community organizations joined forces to launch a statewide pro-water spinach advocacy campaign.

In Texas, water spinach has been listed on the state’s “Harmful or Potentially Harmful Exotic Fish, Shellfish and Aquatic Plants” list, which makes it illegal for anyone to sell, purchase or grow the vegetable. Advocacy efforts started in Houston several years ago but halted when the government decided to cease its enforcement of the water spinach ban for further study. The issue garnered the community’s attention when BPSOS’s Houston branch received calls for assistance from Cambodian growers while assisting them rebuild their lives after Hurricane Ike.

BPSOS plans to coordinate with other Asian American communities in launching advocacy campaigns in other states where water spinach is currently banned, such as Georgia or Mississippi.

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