- McGowan Government awards more than $250,000 to key hemp projects
- Hemp roundtable in Manjimup examines key opportunities to grow the fledgling industry and create more local jobs
The McGowan Government is investing almost $300,000 towards five key projects to drive the growth of Western Australia's hemp industry.
The projects, awarded under the Industrial Hemp Grants Scheme, support production, processing, research and export development activities.
The McGowan Government's investment will leverage significant proponent contributions, bringing total project commitments to more than $800,000.
Projects funded through the program include research on varieties best suited to different Western Australian regions, establishing industry standards and commissioning a hemp processing facility.
The McGowan Government is continuing to work with industry stakeholders towards an innovative and profitable industrial hemp industry, hosting a roundtable discussion in Manjimup today.
As noted by Agriculture and Food Minister Alannah MacTiernan:
"It's important for WA to have many irons in the fire - and while hemp won't compete with wheat, we need diversity of crops and industry in our State.
"The scope of these successful projects shows the huge development potential of the Western Australian hemp industry - from variety acquisition and trialling to local processing and export certification.
"We need to learn more about the best hemp varieties for our regions, build our processing capabilities and develop premium food and other products for international markets - all areas these projects cover.
"These grants will assist businesses to take advantage of major opportunities and overcome barriers to production, processing and marketing across the entire value chain, and support development of this promising, jobs creating industry."
