Pubdate: Fri, 09 Nov 2001 Source: Dominion, The (New Zealand) Copyright: 2001 The Dominion Contact: http://www.dominion.co.nz/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/128 Author: Jon Morgan Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/hemp.htm (Hemp) HIGH HOPES FOR HEMP INDUSTRY HEW DALRYMPLE has been planting cannabis . . . four hectares (10 acres) of it. But he's not going to smoke it, he wants to press the seeds for oil -- and he's allowed to. The cannabis he and about a dozen other New Zealanders are planting as part of a national trial does not have marijuana's high levels of the hallucinogen THC. He is planting industrial hemp which has a THC level of about 0.15 per cent, way below marijuana's 9 per cent. And he has bad news for dope-growers: "Don't try and hide your plants among my crops because they will cross-fertilise and reduce your THC levels to nothing." The hemp seed is being direct-drilled in paddocks on his farm at Parewanui, near Bulls, at the rate of 70 kilograms a hectare. About 60 per cent will germinate and by March he hopes to be harvesting about 50 plants a metre, each standing two to 2.5 metres tall, which will be a challenge for his combine harvester. He may also try some as baleage. Dope-growers apart, it is likely to be a trouble-free crop, being resistant to fungus and insects. The only pest will be birds and Mr Dalrymple says he may have to harvest a little early to save his seeds. He expects to get about 1.5 tonnes of seed a hectare, from which about 300 litres of oil will be pressed. The oil is highly prized for its omega oils and is used in baking, particularly bread, and in dressings and sauces. Others are growing the hemp for its fibre, which has industrial uses from car mouldings to building insulation. However, New Zealand does not yet have a mechanical plant to break down the fibre. Ask him why he has ventured into hemp, and Mr Dalrymple, Manawatu-Rangitikei Federated Farmers grain section chairman, says he just thought he would "give it a go". "I've always wanted to try something new. If what I read about it is true, it could have quite a future." That future is calculated by David Musgrave, of Geraldine, who is planting 11.3 hectares of seed, to be worth $40 million to $50 million a year in export earnings within three years. But first the fledgling industry has to survive its two-year trial. Hemp Industry Association chairman Mac McIntosh, of Wellington, says that if the crops are successful and the expectations of a viable industry are fulfilled, Parliament will be asked to lift the ban on industrial hemp in the Misuse of Drugs Act. Asked how confident he feels, Mr McIntosh said: "It depends on which day you catch me. Sometimes I think what the hell are we doing; other days my feet hardly touch the ground and there's no holding us back." He hopes the hemp plantings will not become an election issue. Key factors will be the police view, which will be dependent to a large degree on the growers' record-keeping, and how well the crops grow. He sees the establishment of a New Zealand seedline to be essential for the industry's survival. The association's seed supply is coming from Canada and Hungary after the first choice, Australia, demanded too high a price. From these seeds he hopes generic cultivars suitable to New Zealand can be developed. Some large New Zealand companies have shown an interest. "They want to wait for the result of the trials, but we have to attract research and develop funding. There's enormous potential for hemp fibre, oil and grain -- the sky's the limit." - --- MAP posted-by: GD