–awaits approval of Agriculture Ministry

EVEN as they maintain high praises for the interest and timely response of the People’s Progressive Party/Civic (PPP/C) government towards developing a local hemp industry, the enthusiastic Guyana Hemp Industries (GHI) and Guyana Industrial Hemp Producers (GIHP) are eager to begin hemp cultivation.

The anxious groups now await word from the Ministry of Agriculture after the Attorney-General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall, S.C, completed his revision of the laws pertaining to the subject matter and forwarded his recommendations to the Agriculture Minister, Zulfikar Mustapha, for his perusal.

Nandlall was tasked with advising the government on whether hemp is a narcotic under the laws of Guyana, and the legality of its cultivation. In October 2020, he met with representatives of the GHI who provided him with a scientific report and a feasibility study on the hemp plant, which he committed to examining.

“I examined all the literature available on the matter, and I advised that the type that is being proposed to be cultivated here is not a narcotic under the Act and that it would not be unlawful for that quality of hemp to be cultivated in Guyana,” Nandlall said during an interview with the Sunday Chronicle.
The Attorney-General explained that his task at this stage is completed and he has since transferred the file to Minister Mustapha, as hemp is an agricultural product, for him to seek cabinet’s guidance on the way forward.

When contacted for a comment on the progress made thus far, Mustapha, who was at the time in the Mahaicony River area engaged in assessing the impact of the catastrophic flooding and providing much-needed relief, told the Sunday Chronicle that he intends to commence a discussion on the matter but was unable to do so due to the floods.
The hemp fiber has great tensile strength and durability, and is used to produce more than 5,000 textile products, ranging from rope to fine laces. The wood ‘hurds’ remaining after the fiber has been removed contains more than 77% cellulose, and can be used to produce more than 25,000 products.

There is a common misconception amongst Guyanese that hemp is marijuana (‘ganja’). Cannabis is a taxonomic term referring to a genus of flowering plants that are members of the Cannabaceae family; marijuana is considered the intoxicating cousin of hemp.
However, while they are from the same family, they are quite different as hemp contains 0.3% or less tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) content, the chemical in marijuana which gives the user a ‘high’ effect, which is not enough to produce the same results.

While in Opposition, the now Vice President, Bharrat Jagdeo, had met with GHI and other stakeholders, and had promised that once elected, a PPP/C government would explore the possibility of growing hemp in Guyana.

During an interview on Saturday with this newspaper, Michael Kirton, Vice President of GHI, and Ras Kent, President of the GIHP, expressed satisfaction with the government taking up the mantle to see the local production of the plants and its by-products, which, they explained, can be a catalyst for economic growth.
“Hemp will provide thousands of new jobs, new industries, it will help to eradicate poverty … countries across the world have been benefitting from hemp, Guyana must not be left out,” Kirton said.

“The Attorney-General has informed us about one month now that he has finished doing his legal recommendations, and submitted same to the Ministry of Agriculture. I must say the Attorney-General has been a driving force, he has been very helpful in pushing this industry,” he added.

Meanwhile, Ras Kent explained that the groups are interested in doing a pilot project to assess the quality of hemp Guyana is capable of producing and to put together methods to produce the quality of hemp synonymous with the standard of the international market.

Additionally, Kirton added that he has visited some hemp farms in the United States of America (USA) and Suriname, where he witnessed the hemp production process first hand; he says he keeps up to date with the current affairs of the industry by conducting extensive reading.

He cited that the Chairman of the GHI, Verman Bedessee, who resides in the USA, is involved in hemp cultivation himself; “so we’re all knocking one head,” he said.
“Guyana is very suitable to become a world leader in the hemp industry, hemp can be grown in any soil, we have the right climate, it wouldn’t be interfered by pests, it doesn’t need herbicide or insecticide and just little bit of water, so hemp is the answer for Guyana,” Kirton said.

The group explained that if given the opportunity, they are capable of starting production immediately; “right away we have the seeds waiting to come in, we have experts waiting to come in from America,” Kirton said.

So far, the GHI has been doing extensive work to educate the local populace about hemp and its by-products. They execute their aim of educating the populace on hemp and its wealth of benefits through their bi-monthly newsletter called “hemp link”, the official organ of the Guyana Hemp Industries Company Inc.

“We are happy with the interest being shown by this government; the last government did nothing, share talks, talks and more talks. I must say that since this government took office, they have been very prepared for what we are doing,” Kirton said as he hopes for the permission to cultivate hemp to be granted in a timely manner.

In November 2020, the Guyana Chronicle had met with the President of the Guyana Industrial Hemp Association (GIHA), Aaron Prince, who expressed that more than 700 farmers from across Guyana have signed up with GIHA, signalling their interest in cultivating hemp for industrial use.