Victoria looks set to invest heavily in industrial hemp production following a state government-backed interim report strongly supporting a trial site.
The industrial hemp taskforce, established to examine the challenges and opportunities faced by the industrial hemp industry, has spent the last 12-months engaging with industry stakeholders, participants and research organisations.
Demand for hemp as food and oil products has grown rapidly in Australia since it was included under the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code in 2017, however the industrial hemp industry remains in its infancy.
As in other Australian states, a special licence is required in Victoria for cultivation and processing of the crop—and it can only be used for non-therapeutic purposes.
While high-cannabidiol, low THC cannabis—less than 0.35 per cent of tetrahydrocannabinol—is technically hemp, once it is used for medicines it becomes medical cannabis in Australia, and subject to different and very strict regulations.
Read more at theurbandeveloper.com