A NANNUP farmer has been appointed chairman of a newly-formed industry association to promote the farming and processing of hemp products in Western Australia.
The Industrial Hemp Western Australia Association, known as iHempWA, held its first annual general meeting in Margaret River last week, where a committee of 12 was elected from 28 members.
Glenn Ossy-Orley from Nannup is in his second growing season and was growing about half a hectare of crop for seed stock cultivation.
“At the moment there's a shortage of the type of seed that I grow, which is the plant that is high in the CBD (cannabidiol) oil rather than the THC," Mr Ossy-Orley said. “The association is seeking to grow the industry to capitalise on high demand for hemp products because there is a growing demand for the many manufacturing and industrial uses for the plant domestically and overseas.”
Hemp is a strain of the cannabis plant that contains low levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the chemical associated with psychoactive properties in marijuana. It is legal to grow hemp in Australia under a licence, but the product may not be used for consumption.
Mr Ossy-Orley said he was only growing about half a hectare of crop for seed stock cultivation but was hoping to build up seed stock to supply other farmers. He explained the crop grew well in Western Australia's South West, although the plant required a lot of water.
He said the main reason there was a shortage of farmers opting to grow the crop was fear.
“A lot of people are scared,” he said. “And when you try to explain to them that there's little THC, they are a little bit interested but they are still scared.”
Mr Ossy-Orley said he and the association were seeking to grow the industry to capitalise on high demand for hemp products because of the growing demand for the many manufacturing and industrial uses for the plant domestically and overseas.
“The oils can be turned into plastics and used in textiles and construction in an effort to keep up with the demand for hemp concrete,” he said.
Industrial Hemp Western Australia Association secretary David Chick said the key to industry success was to break down the stigma associated with hemp.
Mr Chick said the association would dedicate itself to teaching the public about the industrial uses for the plant because the industry needed support to supply growing markets.
“We need growers because of the demand,” he said. “We've got a lot of demand for building products, which is concrete made from the core of the stem.”
The Victorian Government is already paving the way for a new crop to be grown in that state, following Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement that Victoria will legalise the use of medicinal cannabis for specific cases of pain relief.
Tasmanian farmers are also celebrating after the State Government announced plans in January to ease industrial hemp industry regulations.
Tabled in Parliament in 2013, the new industry laws include extending licensing from one to five years to give farmers more certainty and increasing the permitted level of THC to bring it into line with New South Wales, Queensland and the Australian Capital Territory.
