THE Guyana Hemp Association is once again calling on policymakers to take into consideration the beneficial aspects of having a hemp industry, especially in a post COVID-19 Guyana.

This call was made by Chairman of the Guyana Hemp Industries, Verman Bedessee in a release. Bedessee, in explaining, stated that industrial hemp has the potential to be a major boom to the country’s agriculture sector and will give farmers and potential farmers a viable profitable option for the fields. “It is a plant which takes relatively little to no water to grow and no chemicals,” the release stated. Further, the association stated that hemp is not only cheap to produce, but can also provide several thousand jobs in the economy.

“This crop could deliver long term sustainable growth and create tens of thousands of new ‘green’ jobs at all income levels and new industries as we proceed along the long road to recovery. It’s in Guyana initiatives “go green” and hemp is 100 per cent GREEN.”

Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a strain of the Cannabis sativa plant species that is grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products. [1] It is one of the fastest growing plants. [2] and was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fibre 10,000 years ago. [3] It can be refined into a variety of commercial items, including paper, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.

Bedessee further stated that Guyana and many countries around the world have been turned upside down since the COVID-19 pandemic and will be looking to rebuild their economies using cost cutting, effective and efficient means and the GHI truly believes that industrial hemp has valuable contribution to make in this regard, as it currently produces over 25,000 and more different commercial products, including being a super food, clothes, and construction materials, fuel, medicines, paper, plastic, textile and countless other products.

“There will be no quick recovery, but recovery is possible with this fantastic tool we have at hand which is industrial hemp and we believe that the country is ready, for a very long time, to go forward with the establishment of an industrial Hemp industry. With the removal of the barriers, especially at this time, our country can become a leader in the industrial hemp production and will be in the forefront of a new industry with unlimited potential.”