Sending The Right
Message:
$6 Million Hemp Processing Plant In Rural Manitoba "Sends a very strong signal to
farmers."
From the Winnipeg Free Press
letters@freepress.mb.cahttp://www.mbnet.mb.ca/freepress/
August 18, 1998
By David Kuxhaus Legislature Reporter
See
"Manitoba
used to be one of the major growers of industrial hemp before it was banned 1930s."
It May Be Again.
PLANNED HEMP FACILITY A FIRST
$6-M plant expected to create about 30 jobs, open doors by July
’99
(Ed. note: The Canadian dollar is around 65 cents US.)
A $6-MILLION hemp processing plant will be up and running in rural Manitoba by next
July. Douglas Campbell, general manager of Consolidated Growers and Processors of Canada
Ltd.,
said the company has narrowed it down to three or four locations in rural
Manitoba, and will announce its choice by November. The new plant will be 112,000 sq. ft.
and employ about 30 people. Campbell could not say how much the jobs will pay, although he
said about two-thirds of them will be low-tech positions. Campbell said it would be
premature to discuss details concerning the financing of the project.
He said at this point, no government money is involved.
But that could change, he added. "Obviously if we are eligible for (government)
programs we want to look at that." he noted. CGP is made up of
a group of North American and European investors. The federal government lifted the ban on
growing hemp in March.
Production was prohibited in 1938 because hemp is a member of the cannabis family and
contains the substance THC which gives pot smokers their high.
The potential uses of the plant are broad, ranging from clothing to plastics. Hemp oil
can be used in cooking or for burning in automobile engines.
Campbell said the Manitoba facility will produce fibre for
insulation and paper-making. "The intention would be to run three shifts with one
processing line," he added. The new Manitoba plant is part of a larger plan which
will see three to four facilities built in Western Canada over the next couple of years.
Campbell said they would like to branch out into secondary processing.
"All of our facilities are being designed for future expansion to produce
value-added products,"
said Campbell. He said CPG chose Manitoba as the site
for their first plant because there isn’t enough hemp being
grown in other western provinces to justify a facility. CGP’s main objective
right now is to get farmers interested in growing the plant, Campbell said, adding that
because of the sooner-than-anticipated lifting of the ban, only 1,200 acres of hemp were
planted in Manitoba this year. "Many growers did not receive adequate notice,"
he noted. CGP has contracts with about 30 growers in the province.
See
More On Delays In
Canadian Hemp Farming; This Will Reduce First Year Yields and Delay Pressure On DEA
The first fibre crop was harvested last week in La Riviere. Campbell said the remaining
crops should be in by the end of September or early October. The fibre will be stored over
the winter and processed in July. Campbell said that involves separating the inner fibre
from the outer fibre. "It’s like peeling the skin off a banana," he
explained. Agricultural Minister Harry Enns said having a processing plant in Manitoba
will help convince farmers that hemp is a viable alternative. "This sends a very
strong signal to farmers," said Enns. Campbell said farmers could gross in excess of
$400 per acre.
The Hemp Page of Marijuananews.com is edited
by John E. Dvorak, Hempologist &
Managing Editor, Hemp Magazine.
John was born in Fort Worth, Texas, but is an eight year resident
of Allston/Brighton, MA, where he is the proprietor of the Boston Hemp Co-op and Managing
Editor of Hemp Magazine. He is a member of the Hemp Industries Association, the
International Hemp Association, and Mass/Cann NORML.
=-=-=-=-=-
Hemp Magazine
Advertising & subscription info:
Richard Tomcala, Publisher
hempmag@lconn.com
713-523-3199
Hemp news & writers wanted!
Contact John E. Dvorak, Managing Editor
boston.hemp@pobox.com
617-254-HEMP
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