Farmers invited to inspect often secretive hemp growing trials at two research farms

The NT government has passed laws to allow the crop to be grown after successful trials at the Katherine Research Farm, about 300km south of Darwin.

Some farmers are already keen to take up licences to grow it, but more are needed to establish the industry.

Farmers, processors, food retailers and commercial investors are invited to inspect two hemp trials next month as interest in the emerging industry continues to grow.

Along with cotton, industrial hemp has been seen as potential broadacre crop for northern Australia to diversify away from traditional cattle grazing.

The trials are being held at Katherine Research Station and the Frank Wise Institute of Tropical Agriculture near Kununurra.

Industrial hemp enthusiasts believe irrigated crops in the north can produce two harvests a season.

Industrial hemp is cultivated for seed and fibre production and has many uses including in the manufacture of textiles, rope and paper and it is also a highly nutritious food source, and can be used to in products such as soap, lotion and shampoo.

Early trials in Katherine show industrial hemp grows well in the Top End.

Testing on this potentially new crop is being funded by AgriFutures Australia in partnership with the NT and WA governments.

With nine sites across seven states and territories, the national industrial hemp trials are capturing key performance data for a range of grain and dual-purpose (grain and fibre) varieties for different sowing times and environmental conditions.

The second year of the trial is evaluating up to 12 different varieties at Katherine and Kununurra including the publicly available King Gee as well as others from Australia, Canada, Poland, China and France.

Previous field days held in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania earlier this year saw a strong turnout, with up to 50 people attending each event.

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Visitors to Katherine and Kununurra will be able to see the difference between the varieties and sowing times ahead of harvest.

Trial coordinator Mark Skewes said the field days would include a plot tour, crop inspection and a presentation of the IHVT (Industrial Hemp Variety Trial) first year results.

"It will be interesting to see how the varieties are performing in the lead up to this year's harvest compared to the first year," Mr Skewes said.

"Yuma, HanCold and King Gee were among the top performing varieties at the northern sites in the 2022 growing season and while the initial results are encouraging, the trial is being repeated for growers to have confidence in achieving the same results or better in different seasons."

AgriFutures Australia emerging industries program senior manager, Dr Olivia Reynolds, said the field day was a great opportunity for those interested in the emerging industrial hemp industry in northern Australia to learn more about growing the crop and the diverse opportunities it offered.

"With the global industrial hemp market projected to reach $18.6 billion by 2027, the outcomes of the IHVT will help position Australia's agriculture industry to take advantage of the opportunity to produce an environmentally sustainable, multi-purpose crop," Dr Reynolds said.

"Industrial hemp is extremely versatile and can be used for everything from food to fabric and even fenceposts," she said.

The IHVT is aligned with a $2.5 million program of research by AgriFutures Australia to grow the Australian industry, which aims to exceed $10m in production at farmgate by 2026.

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.

The Katherine field day will be held from noon-1.30pm on June 19. Registration is required.

The Kununurra IHVT field day will be held from 9.30am-11am on June 21 at the Frank Wise Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Durack Drive, Kununurra. Registration is required.