Hemp oil is already being produced here from imported hemp seed, and innovative products such as hempcrete have already been trialed successfully.
- TIA's Sue Hinton
A feasibility study into a commercially viable hemp industry for Tasmania was commissioned by the state House of Assembly standing committee on environment, resources and development in March 2012.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The inquiry attracted 24 submissions from 20 individuals, companies and growers, mainly from Tasmania but some also from the mainland with strong affiliations to Tasmania.
Hemp was pioneered as a crop here in 1990 and the first hemp oil seed was produced in 1995.
Legislative restrictions and rulings under the Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and the Poisons Act 1971 has however impeded the opportunity for hemp to be used as an alternative rotation crop and hence restricted the development of a potential processing industry in Tasmania, particularly with respect to human consumption.
The conclusions from this inquiry was that there is a strong business case to consider and review the restrictions to legally growing low THC Cannabis sativa L for human consumption.
While it was conceded that hemp for fibre was probably a less economically viable option for our small state, the evidence suggested that Tasmania could profitably participate in the marketplace as a quality seed and oil based producer of hemp product for human consumption to supply a growing world market estimated at around $581 million in the US market alone (Votehemp 2014).
Currently in Australia the hemp industry generates around $13 million dollars, however the potential to expand this opportunity is significant.
Since this inquiry, both state and federal governments have recently legislated changes to the regulations that would allow Australia to produce hemp products across a broader field, opening up enormous opportunities for the Tasmanian economy.
Hemp oil is already being produced here from imported hemp seed, and innovative products such as hempcrete for use in the building industry have already been trialed successfully.
There are also several other novel technologies being piloted by innovative Tasmanian companies that have already attracted international interest and seen the development of new markets.
This will be an exciting space to watch over the next 12 months as new legislation is rolled out, and we will see the innovation and determination of our Tasmanian growers and processors as they take advantage of the opportunity to explore potential new markets and products that could contribute to much needed wealth and employment in Tasmania.
Currently UTAS and TIA are involved in several key research and development projects focussed on hemp products.
