‘Prepare yourselves, do not be left behind’ – hemp organisation urges farmers, youths

With the multi-billion-dollar hemp industry on the rise in Guyana, Vice President of the Guyana Hemp Industry, Michael Kirton, is urging farmers to seize the opportunity and avoid being left behind in this burgeoning market. This urgency has been expressed during an interview with Guyana Times on Thursday.
Specifically targeting two of the main prosperous regions, which he foresees as key production areas, Kirton has told farmers to get their land documents checked, and be prepared and ready.
“I call upon my farmers in Region 10 and Region Six. The first three years were illegally marked as unconfirmed farmers. Put your land papers in order, do some research on hemp and its various products, and prepare not to be left behind. Make certain that when the application is out for licences, you will be able to apply,” Kirton has admonished.
His views align with remarks President Dr Irfaan Ali made to the recent UK Trade Mission, whom he urged to develop the hemp industry.
“I support the President’s words in total. I am thinking that – and I hope and I know that – the farmers, now aware that it’s a lucrative crop, will not only produce hemp and hemp products for Guyana, but will also tap into the global market, which has been growing due to increased consumer demand for eco-friendly products. Guyana is on the right track, and in the not-too-distant future, it will become an economic hemp powerhouse,” Kirton has predicted.
Not only did he relay this, but he has also put his money where his mouth is proverbially by sharing some of the initiatives the Guyana Hemp Industry is currently undertaking to cultivate hemp.
The hemp industry, in association with a hemp company from the USA, would be establishing a processing plant in Region Six to process hemp products; will be cultivating hemp on a large scale in Region Six; and, as part of their programme, would be establishing, in Region 6, a hemp academy which will also include farmers and potential farmers from Region 10. This academy would teach all aspects of hemp production, from cultivation to manufacturing to marketing.
“Hemp is a wonderful crop,” Kirton emphasizes. “Guyana as a whole, and Guyana Hemp Industries, along with other groups, will continue to work with the Government of Guyana to establish a robust, lucrative hemp industry. We realize that a small farmer, a small producer, needs to have the good life that was promised by a previous administration but was not achieved.”
Kirton has also mentioned that past initiatives by the hemp industry are currently being revamped in order to engage more people on the benefits of hemp cultivation.
“My brother, over the last few years, we have had hundreds of outreach programmes, from Point-a-Pierre to all the creeks and rivers. Hemp will also help within the prisons and police to have farms. We would also like for hemp to be a topic in schools,” he declared.
Although the industry is predicted to be a boomer, Kirton relayed that there could be challenges if hemp is grown only in limited areas.
“The only problem I really see is that, at some stage, you will have to scale down the industry. If we look at Regions 6 and 10, we also need to consider other regions, because when other farmers in other regions see the returns coming in for farmers in Regions Six and 10, they will start to approach the Government as if they have been forgotten,” he predicted.
Having highlighted this longstanding issue, he is urging the Government to address it as early as next year.
“So, I think that’s why the Government will have to seriously look at this next year, to open the industry and let other regions get involved. Also, I think what a lot of people have been looking at is the statement made by the President about investors, which is important,” Kirton has said.
What has majorly stood out from Kirton’s statements is that Guyana’s main goal should not be to sell hemp, but rather to process it to derive greater value from the product.
“We do not need to sell a lot of hemp. We need to process hemp to create value-added products. That’s where the money is. We can’t afford to plant hemp and then sell it to somebody else to make the hemp products. We in Guyana grow hemp, make our hemp products, and put them on the world stage labelled ‘Made in Guyana.’ So, I see a great future for the farmers, processors, and even the consumers who are now seeking eco-friendly products,” Kirton has said.
Guyana’s National Assembly approved the Industrial Hemp Bill back in August 2022, paving the way for the legalization of industrial hemp in the country. Local stakeholders have since been awaiting the establishment of a licensing authority to kickstart the commercial cultivation of hemp.
Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha told <<Guyana Times>> on Wednesday that Cabinet has already approved the members of the Guyana Industrial Hemp Regulatory Authority, and the body would soon be formally established.
“I already identified the members, and got Cabinet’s approval. So, it will be set up in two weeks,” Minister Mustapha has said. He had previously disclosed that lands have been identified in Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne) and Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Upper Berbice) for small-scale farmers to cultivate one to two acres of industrial-type hemp.
Hemp is a multi-billion-dollar industry that facilitates the production of hundreds of items. Hemp is used in the production of rope, textiles, clothing, shoes, food, and belts. Hemp is often confused with marijuana, but it is crucial to understand the distinction between the two. Hemp and marijuana are both varieties of the cannabis plant, which includes more than 100, and as many as 156, different strains, the two most recognized of which are hemp and marijuana. With approximately 100,000 to 150,000 potential uses and products, hemp can be a versatile addition to Guyana’s economy.