The Fiji government will issue licences to farmers who will take up industrial hemp farming in Fiji, said Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum. He said laws will be amended to decriminalize the planting of industrial hemp.
At the same time, President Ratu Wiliame Katonivere has joined the list of high-profile individuals calling for the industrialization of hemp. He said the product was proving to be a high-value business and Fiji should not hesitate to tap into it.
He said industrial hemp had been called a wonder plant because of its estimated 25,000 different uses, which included food, rope, textiles, paper, and building material.
“These industries create thousands of jobs globally and many countries are finding that industrial hemp offers huge economic potential,” he said. “The industrialization of hemp has far-reaching implications, not only for current government policies and legislation addressing the illegal use and effects of hemp.”