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Mukudzei Chingwere, Herald Reporter
ZIMBABWE’s industrial hemp production is set to tap from world cutting-edge expertise after leading players from the United States expressed their interest in partnering with local farmers.
The founder of the US Hemp Plastic company, Mr Paul Benhaim and the US National Industrial Hemp Council (NIHC) president Mr Patrick Agari yesterday met Acting President Dr Constantino Chiwenga at his offices in Harare.
The US hemp industry, valued at approximately US$1,63 billion in 2023, is projected to grow at an impressive rate of 21,1 percent annually from 2024 to 2030, according to Grand View Research.
Speaking after meeting the Acting President, Mr Benhaim highlighted the potential for industrial hemp in the country, outlining opportunities for both small-scale and commercial farmers.
“Today we discussed the potential for industrial hemp for Zimbabwe, that means for small-scale farmers and for commercial farmers, we particularly focused on the upscaling and value adding of these crops in Zimbabwe for Zimbabweans.
“We are here from around the world, particularly the United States through the NIHC to support the growth of the hemp industry.
“We hope to impart what we have learnt, what not to do, as well as what to do, how to value add by using the intellectual property and understanding of up-valuing industrial hemp as a crop.
“Industrial hemp offers uses as paper, fibre, fuel, plastics, and medicines and we hope that it can be used to benefit Zimbabweans. We are coming in to find partners, to grow this industry, there will be movement as soon as possible,” said Mr Benhaim.
Mr Atagi said they want to help local farmers benefit from farming hemp and not only to rely on traditional cash crops like tobacco, and cotton among others.
He said Zimbabwe and local farmers stand to benefit immensely from farming hemp properly.
The delegation from the US aims to share vital knowledge gained through years of experience, focusing on best practices and innovative approaches to hemp cultivation and processing.
Founder and chief executive officer of the Zimbabwe Industrial Hemp Trust (ZIHT), Dr Zorodzai Maroveke, expressed enthusiasm for the collaboration.
“It was a courtesy visit from the National Industrial Hemp Council of the USA, and as the Zimbabwe Industrial Hemp Trust we are facilitating to basically bridge the knowledge gap that we have in Zimbabwe in charting the way forward for the national commercialisation plan for industrial hemp in Zimbabwe.
“We are looking for collaborations to chart the way forward to grow the sector,” said Dr Maroveke.
Zimbabwe’s strategic plans include developing a hemp paper value chain, exploring hemp wood products and even constructing the country’s first hemp building.
The Government is keen to harness valuable insights from their US counterparts, recognising the potential of hemp as a catalyst for economic development, sustainability and industrial advancement.
Endowed with fertile lands and a favourable climate, Zimbabwe is increasingly positioned to become a leader in the global hemp market.
The Government, under the Second Republic, has remained committed to creating an enabling environment for investment, innovation and collaboration in the hemp industry.
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