The McGowan Government is investing almost $300,000 towards five key projects to drive the growth of Western Australia’s hemp industry.
The projects, awarded under the Industrial Hemp Grants Scheme, support production, processing, research and export development activities.
The McGowan Government’s investment will leverage significant proponent contributions, bringing total project commitments to more than $800,000.
Projects funded through the program include research on varieties best suited to different Western Australian regions, establishing industry standards and commissioning a hemp processing facility.
The McGowan Government is continuing to work with industry stakeholders towards an innovative and profitable industrial hemp industry, hosting a roundtable discussion in Manjimup today.
As noted by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
“It’s important for WA to have many irons in the fire – and while hemp won’t compete with wheat, we need diversity of crops and industry in our State.
“The scope of these successful projects shows the huge development potential of the Western Australian hemp industry – from variety acquisition and trialling to local processing and export certification.
“We need to learn more about the best hemp varieties for our regions, build our processing capabilities and develop premium food and other products for international markets – all areas these projects cover.
“These grants will assist businesses to take advantage of major opportunities and overcome barriers to production, processing and marketing across the entire value chain, and support development of this promising, jobs creating industry.”
Successful recipients
WA Hemp Growers Co-op – Best seed for best region ($80,000)
Research will obtain varieties of hemp from key countries and determine which will grow best in which region across WA.
J.M Blyth & M.J Blyth & R.S Blyth – Manypeaks Southern Coastal Seed Hemp Cropping Trial ($37,627)
The trial will monitor, record and report plant morphology and seed yields of moderate density early-maturing oilseed hemp varieties, with a particular focus on photoperiods and optimal sowing times.
Ridgeview Building Company Pty Ltd – Hemp processing plant – fibre and hurd ($66,000)
This project aims to commission a hemp decortication processing facility to separate hemp fibre from hemp hurd in regional WA that will support local growers to process hemp crops and create quality products for this growing industry.
St Francis Pharmaceuticals Pty Ltd – Establishment of industry standards for production of certified WA hemp food product ($76,000)
Hemp food products targeting premium international markets must meet legislative, manufacturing and market entry standards. The project will develop analyses to ensure final product attributes meet customer expectations.
Raintree Pearls & Perfumes – Develop WA Export Capacity for industrial hemp Bioactive Flavour and Fragrance Compounds ($40,000)
To select, grow and process industrial hemp for production of flavour and fragrance compounds for ingestible and topical applications.
