A R 25-million, five-year project to introduce and develop new cultivars of hemp for South Africa will reap significant rewards for the country, and place it at the forefront of international hemp research and development.
Cultivars will be the first adapted to subtropical growing conditions that will yield a high fibre and low drug content crop for local fibre and seed production.
"Demand for hemp products worldwide has increased by 233% over the past two years, and yearly South African hemp imports have grown from R500,000 to R1-million in the last year," Southern Africa Hemp Company ( SAHC ) director and international expert James Wynn tells Engineering News exclusively.
"Given the recognized demand for fibre products, particularly tree fibre, and the limited availability of forest land in South Africa, the development of a viable hemp industry in South Africa will help boost the economy and empower rural farmers," he argues.
The project will involve the cross-breeding of local cannabis varieties with hemp cultivars certified by the European Union ( EU ) to lower the tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ) or narcotic content, and will yield a new certified high-fibre crop, suited to the South African climate, that can be grown year-round.
Existing European cultivars can be grown only during a four-month growing season in subtropical climates. European countries are expected to fund the project, which will expand the production of existing EU hemp cultivars.
This will involve specific breeding, development and adaptation of the cultivars in cooperation with scientists and students, as well as the transfer of knowledge and technical know-how to students, researchers, farmers and regulatory authorities.
Already PG Bison and Masonite Africa, leaders in the South African panel products industry, have provided funding of R300,000 to kick start the breeding programme, and a license has been granted by the Department of Health to grow hemp at Rustenburg in the Nort West Province. A hemp, flax, sisal & kenaf cluster comprising representatives from the government, industry, trade associations and research institutions has also been formed to further advance the local development of these strategic resources.
This follows on from the formation of the South African Bast Crop Consortium ( SABCC ) last year to introduce and develop bast or fibrous bark crops such as hemp, flax, kenaf and sun hemp for the local agricultural industry.
Present members include the Agricultural Research Council's Tobacco and Cotton Research Institute, PG Bison, Masonite Africa and the Southern Africa Hemp Company.
Despite the actions being taken to launch a local hemp industry, and the support from local and foreign private investors, the project is being delayed by legislation and bureaucratic processes within the Department of Health regarding the issuing of permits, warns Wynn.
Any researcher or farmer wishing to grow and process hemp must be granted permits by both the health and agriculture departments, as well as the Medicines Control Council.
"As the council meets only once every six weeks, hemp-permit applications can get pushed aside for issues deemed of higher priority such as new medicines and health policies," explains Wynn. "A whole season can be missed because it takes months before a permit is cleared," he asserts. "This, in turn, affects potential foreign investment, as we require permits before funding can be secured." Wynn adds that the existing legislation could cost the country its competitive advantage in this lucrative sector.
In the 1920s, South Africa outlawed the entire cannabis plant due to its narcotic effects, but since 1964 scientists have learned to monitor drug levels in different cannabis plants, and today low THC hemp cultivars are grown in more than 30 countries.
Hemp seed and fibre are used in the manufacture of food and beverage products, building materials, textiles, cosmetics, fuels, paper, and automotive components ( Engineering News November 21, 1997 ).
Although the SAHC has been granted a permit to grow hemp at Rustenburg, it is still waiting for approval of a permit to grow the crop in the Eastern Cape.
The SABCC, together with the Department of Agriculture, plans to conduct commercial scale trials at Stutterheim at the end of next month, and has targeted areas in the Eastern Cape and Western Cape for future hemp production due to the favorable climate there.
This component of the project has already elicited interest from international companies, including the leading national French hemp co-operative, which hopes to introduce French hemp cultivars to South Africa. Funding proposals have already been submitted to this organization, as well as to the EU.
Interest has also been expressed by the Department of Agriculture, which seeks to ensure the accessibility of the newly-developed seed to local farmers.
The five year research programme will require funding of R5-million each year to expand the commercial agronomic trailson a nationwide basis. ( END )
This message was received from James Wynn: Director, Southern Africa Hemp Company sahc@icon.co.za Manager, South African Bast Crop Consortiumwww.hemp.co.za
