The debate surrounding industrial hemp has heated up over the past weeks, making it the perfect time for a seminar at Narromine's Areodrome.
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Macquarie 2100 and Regional Development Australia-Orana brought Australia's industrial Hemp (iHemp) leaders to the region to talk to growers on Monday.
People travelled from far and wide to hear what was being said about the contentious issue, as iHemp is illegal to grow in NSW.
Member for Parkes, Mark Coulton said there had been a resistance to the plant because of its association with cannabis.
"Hemp is similar in appearance to the cannabis plant but does not possess the same characteristics which have caused cannabis to be banned," he said.
"Hemp is suited to being grown in our part of the world. It has a number of positive attributes and should be considered for production."
Hemp was the star of the show on Monday as RDA Orana, M2100 and the Federal Member all reported the seminar was very positive.
Felicity Taylor-Edwards from RDA-Orana said they were delighted with how it went.
"We support the diversification of agriculture and a coming together of perspectives. There was no negatives today, except that we could have kept talking for another two hours," she said.
Ms Taylor-Edwards said growers were interested to know what hemp looked like and where it went.
"It was a good step. If I was a grower today, I would want to know what it takes," she said.
Ms Taylor-Edwards said Mr Coulton was hoping to take a small delegation of iHemp experts to Canberra to discuss growing the crop in NSW.
Mr Coulton said the process of legalising hemp crops in NSW was underway.
"It is currently illegal to grow hemp in NSW and if this situation were to change there are a number of ways the plant can be utilised, from the seed, to the stalk and the leaves," he said.
"Hemp can be used to produce clothing, oils and building materials whilst the leaves can be used as fodder. Hemp has a relatively low water usage, requires very little chemical application and would be suitable as a rotation crop."
Mr Coulton said there would be challenges introducing the crops to our region.
"There will need to be a critical mass of farmers investing in trials before the true value can be established. There are a variety of opportunities for value-adding to hemp, but the infrastructure needs to be in place in order to manufacture final products," he said.
"If changes are made to current legislation, industrial hemp could be a good choice for farmers."
Macquarie 2100 Chairman, Col Hamilton said there were lots of interested people at the seminar.
"It's a viable option for the future and there are a number of steps to get there," he said.
Ms Taylor-Edwards said there needed to be research and development put into the hemp industry but the team at RDA Orana was pleased the different bodies got together for the panel.
We want to know what you think: is Hemp a viable crop option for Narromine and Trangie? Let us know by answering on our website.
