THE government, on Tuesday, reinforced its seriousness about the development of the industrial hemp industry, with the presentation of the Industrial Hemp Bill in the National Assembly.

Minister of Agriculture, Zulfikar Mustapha, tabled the Bill, which will be another critical policy of the government that is intended to transform the lives of Guyanese.

Minister Mustapha said the passage of the Bill will provide for the cultivation of hemp and pave the way for the use of the plant for manufacturing purposes.

It also caters for hemp to be used for conducting research and for any other activity concerning or relating to industrial hemp.

The Bill also proposes the establishment of the Guyana Industrial Hemp Regulatory Authority, which will be the governing body of the hemp industry.

The Industrial Hemp Regulatory Authority, which will be governed by a Board of Directors, will, among other things, evaluate licence applications, grant, suspend, and revoke licences, set growing quotas, and work with the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit to oversee hemp output.

Board members who fail to disclose linked interests in items being addressed, as well as information related to the authority’s activities, would face fines of up to $200,000.

Additionally, as stated in the Bill, persons will not be allowed to cultivate hemp or engage in hemp-related operations without a licence, and those who do so without one would face a $500,000 fine and a year in prison.

Hemp is often confused with marijuana because it is a member of the cannabis family, but it has significantly lower tetrahydrocannabinol than marijuana. Tetrahydrocannabinol is the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana that gives users the “high feeling.”

However, if someone were to consume hemp, it would not affect their mind or body due to the lower level of tetrahydrocannabinol, research states.

Hemp has proven to be a super plant, responsible for the creation of myriad products. Some of the products derived from hemp include rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, paper, bioplastics, insulation and biofuel.

According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Centre, hemp is rich in protein, unsaturated fats, fibre, minerals and vitamins and it protects the brain, boosts heart health, reduces inflammation, improves skin conditions and relieves rheumatoid arthritis.

The Global Industrial Hemp Markets Report 2021-2028, published by GlobeNewswire in November 2021, states that the global industrial hemp market size is expected to reach US$12.01 billion by 2028 and to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 16.2 percent from 2021 to 2028.

This is one of the reasons the Government of Guyana is keen on establishing a local hemp industry.

President, Dr. Irfaan Ali, in March, expressed optimism that Guyana could develop a viable hemp industry.

“The hemp industry is not only about hemp production, but it is about having the processing and value-added facilities here in Guyana and these are industries that can generate jobs, these are industries that have high value return,” Dr. Ali said.

Vice-President, Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, had announced that licences will be issued to farmers to cultivate hemp in Regions Six and Ten, following the passage of the legislation.

A move towards the development of the hemp industry is also aligned with the government’s aim of creating 50,000 jobs by 2025.

With thousands of jobs already created in the housing, construction, tourism, manufacturing and agriculture sectors, among others, many more will become available soon with the development of the industrial hemp industry.