“Think Big” Industrial Hemp Can Help New Zealand’s Economic Recovery Post Covid-19

Now is a great time to introduce a new raw material for industry, allowing the new normal to be sustainable and regenerative

Aotearoa/New Zealand needs to think big and pay attention to market trends if they want to be operating at scale in global markets.

NZHIA welcomes the government’s support for creating jobs and promoting the wellbeing of current and future generations of New Zealanders. The 2020 Budget has allocated a lot of funding to support primary production, building homes, rebuilding infrastructure and support for positive health and family outcomes – and we want to help them achieve this.

“Much of this funding is going to sectors which would benefit from being involved with iHemp” says Richard Barge, Chair NZHIA

Industrial hemp has a significant role to play in kick-starting the recovery: we tick all the right boxes

1. Sustainable and regenerative
2. Creating employment, training and investment opportunities
3. Export potential for a wide range of products
4. Regional development as value-added activities need to be done close to the farm
5. Alternate land use and new rotational crop option
6. Building healthy homes

We are a catalyst to make many of the government initiatives happen

1. Meeting export targets
2. Emissions trading and meeting Paris Agreement targets
3. Achieving United Nations Sustainable Goals
4. Supporting Aotearoa/NZ Science Challenges
5. Encouraging and supporting people to live and work in the regions

A fully enabled industry supported by the Government will impact on many sectors - “People will be shocked when they find out how useful and far-reaching industrial hemp is” says Richard Barge. “The building industry is a good example, we can produce hempcrete used to quickly build healthy homes that are warm and safe.”

Our hemp food and fiber is an excellent raw material for a wide range of industries, and the great qualities of these products make it a serious sustainable alternative.

Across Aotearoa/NZ there are companies working with industrial hemp and when people realise how it can be sustainable used in their business, the industry will scale up and attract investment into bankable business plans.

NZ Inc. will benefit from having another successful primary industry and we are thinking big. Big in terms of revenue from global markets, and the wide range of end uses, both high and low tech.

There is a massive amount of work to be done. We need to understand the plant, improve how we grow it. Research the potential, develop tech to process and manufacture products. Create brands and export goods and services that meet this new global, consumer-driven demand.

This is a real opportunity to work with something that is new, exciting and it works! This is the beginning of a long conversation about how this arable crop can be a sustainable raw material for industry.

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