Farmers hopeful for hemp harvest 

Farmers are singing the praises of hemp as harvesting of the latest field trial of the plant used for clothing, textiles, cosmetics, oil and rope gets underway around the country.

New Zealand imports more than $1 million of the product each year and Federated Farmers spokesperson Gavin Forrest says there is a clear opportunity to grow it in New Zealand and an even greater opportunity to expand and export it overseas.

We struggle with some of the normal products, grains, wheats and barley, to compete internationally but it's often these niche markets that we often do very well in, says Forrest.

Researcher Steve Cutler says they are trialing different cultivars to see which ones will do well in New Zealand and what sort of products can be expected from them.

All the crops we do well at now have gone into a breeding programme focused on a cultivar that was suitable for New Zealand growing conditions and we haven't got anywhere near that, he says.

The hemp being grown in 16 licensed plots around the country is a close relative to cannabis but with very low levels of THC, the drug's active ingredient.

It is estimated that to have a significant industry would require at least 50,000 hectares of hemp planted and to develop that industry could cost $15 million dollars.

Culter says finding the ideal plants could be five years away.

A working party will later this year make recommendations to government including whether trials should continue.