Health Benefits Driving New Hemp Demand & More Acres

by Kelvin Heppner
Source: portageonline.com


Mike Fata speaking at the Manitoba Legislative Building on Tuesday

The number of hemp acres in Western Canada could hit the 100 thousand mark this year, according to the CEO of the world's largest hemp food manufacturer.

The opportunities in the hemp sector were profiled as part of the annual Agriculture Awareness Day at the Manitoba Legislative Building on Tuesday.

Mike Fata of Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods said they continue to see rapid growth in demand for their hemp food products, and as a result they're contracting more acres with farmers.

"I think this year we'll see, for the whole industry, upwards of 100 thousand acres in the ground, and we feel we're just scratching the surface. Having a ten-fold increase of that is not out of the question," said Fata, who co-founded the hemp food company in 1998.

According to Health Canada, a record 67 thousand acres of hemp were grown in 2013. That was up from around 54 thousand in 2012.

Manitoba Harvest Hemp Foods purchases hemp seed directly from producers, and turns it into four main food products that are sold through major retailers. The company holds approximately a 60 percent share of the hemp food market.

Fata noted hemp has several health attributes that are attractive to consumers.

"Hemp is very rich in essential fatty acids - Omega threes and it's also a good source of vegetable protein. As well it has a great nutty flavour, so hemp foods taste good," he explained. "My passion is really about health and nutrition, so we want to offer healthy and nutritious hemp food products to the masses."