Rural research and development corporation AgriFutures Australia is upbeat about the growth opportunities in the country's fledgling industrial hemp sector.
The RDC says the crop was supremely versatile, having a role as a food, fabric and even a building material for fence posts or other construction.
AgriFutures Australia has released three news reports on industrial hemp, hoping it to push through a goal of $10 million of value by 2026.
The AgriFutures research reports support the industry's need to develop options for processing Australian industrial hemp straw and provide a best management practice manual and gap analysis for growing, harvesting and storing industrial hemp in Australia.
Stuart Gordon, senior principal research scientist at CSIRO Agriculture and Food, and co-author of the three reports, said the research provides a valuable opportunity for the sector to uncover the far-reaching potential of the environmentally sustainable, multi-purpose crop.
"The exercise through AgriFutures Australia was excellent because it allowed us to audit the system, realise what's there and what we need," he said.
At present the industry is still in its infancy, with just under 2,500 ha of industrial hemp planted by more than 500 license holders across Australia in the 2022-23 season, the industry is expected to grow in coming years.
At present about half is destined for the food market and half grown for biomass.
Industrial hemp, which must be grown under state or territory government permits, has very low tetrahydrocannabinol content (THC) but the grain is high in protein and healthy fats. Since 2017 it has been legal to sell industrial hemp seed for human consumption.
Separate research from the University of Tasmania has found hemp could be processed to create environmentally friendly building materials similar to bricks and concrete.
Dr Gordon said one of the keys to the growth of the industry was to improve yield.
Issues common to other crops such as water and nutrition availability together with seedling vigour are critical in boosting yield.
The hemp plant is versatile in where it can be grown, with commercial plantings in all states.
At present the largest commercial plantings are in NSW and Tasmania.
Gregor Heard
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
Gregor Heard is ACM's national grains industry reporter, based in Horsham, Victoria. He has a wealth of knowledge surrounding the cropping sector through his 15 years in the role. Prior to that he was with the Fairfax network as a reporter with Stock & Land. Some of the major issues he has reported on during his time with the company include the deregulation of the export wheat market, the introduction of genetically modified crops and the fight to protect growers better from grain trader insolvencies. Still involved with the family farm he is passionate about rural Australia and its people and hopes to use his role to act as an advocate for those involved in the grain sector.
