Columbia, S.C. (WCIV) — The South Carolina Department of Agriculture (SCDA) has received 162 applications for the 2019 Industrial Hemp program.
SCDA will select up to 40 farmers to receive industrial hemp permits.
Those farmers who receive permits will each be allowed to grow up to 40 acres of the crop. The 2018 pilot program allowed 20 farmers to grow up to 20 acres of industrial hemp.
“Expanding the Industrial Hemp Pilot Program will give us a greater opportunity to assess where and how this crop grows best in South Carolina,” said Hugh Weathers, SC Commissioner of Agriculture. “Ultimately, industrial hemp is about crop diversity, new business for our rural farmers and economic development in South Carolina.”
SCDA plans to name the 40 growers by mid-September.
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