Source: weeklytimesnow.com.au
PLANS are afoot to quadruple Tasmania’s hemp crop this growing season.
After the state grew about 450ha last season, strong demand for hemp seed could see more than 2000ha sown across the state this year.
New business RED Agriculture is looking to grow about 1500ha and is about to start contract talks with farmers.
Ted Jones, director of field services of the business, started it up with friends Rodney Chugg and Dave Stoney.
Mr Jones has extensive experience in the cropping industry after 19 years working with Tasmanian Alkaloids and Mr Chugg has been involved in hemp in Victoria.
“It just fitted in well with my skill set and having a network of farmers here I’ve worked with and knowing Tasmania like I do, it lent itself very well to what we wanted to do,” Mr Jones said.
The plan now is to construct a storage and processing facility in the northern Midlands.
Contract discussions with farmers are about to start and Mr Jones said they had worked out a pricing schedule.
“As part of that they shouldn’t have to pay for cleaning grading and drying. There’ll also be the fact that once the food-grade test has been done and it has passed, they will receive their money within 30 days.”
Mr Jones said hemp would offer higher margins than wheat or barley and similar to poppies.
He said hemp also fitted in well as a crop prior to poppies in a rotation.
Hemp seed produced in Tasmania will be sent to Victoria for use in food products.
While the company hopes to get a minimum of 1500ha this season, Mr Jones said hemp had potential to be a significant crop for the state.
“The projected figures for the next five years are very big,” he said.
“This is looking very much like it could become a major new industry for Tasmania.”
Business partners Tim Crow and Nathan McNiece are also looking to source more Tasmanian grown hemp.
Their retail brand Fair Foods makes products like smoothie and health bars including hemp seed.
They have also set up the Hemp Harvests business in the state to increase supplies and help farmers with the seed-processing side of things.
Mr Crow said they first became involved with the Tasmanian hemp industry about five years ago.
“We saw what was inhibiting the industry was a lack of value-adding capabilities and trying to send it to the mainland was really costly,” he said.
After setting up a hemp- food manufacturing facility in the state, Mr Crow said they had also moved into hemp growing and harvesting. They have a seed-processing facility at Red Hills at Forager Foods.
Mr Crow said their focus was on sourcing organic hemp seed, which is in huge demand.
He said the first step would be to work with existing organic producers.
“It’s something we see as a focus, to try and convert more farmers to organic, because that’s where the growth is coming from and that’s where things are heading,” he said.
Mr Crow said the low spray requirements in conventionally grown crops as well as hemp’s qualities as a natural weed suppressant meant it was suited to organic production.
He said their business would also be processing conventionally grown hemp.
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