New South Wales Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty joined a roundtable last week with leading figures from Australia's hemp sector to discuss the crop's future in the state.
The gathering, convened at Parliament House by NSW Legalise Cannabis MP Jeremy Buckingham, marked the first session of a newly formed hemp taskforce established to advance the industry and its potential to grow into a multi-billion dollar sector.
Among those present were Tim Schmidt and James Vosper, presidents of the Australian Hemp Council and Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance respectively.
Buckingham conceded that the hemp industry is "very much in its infancy in NSW" but maintained that significant economic opportunities for the state — particularly jobs in regional communities — have yet to be realised.
He added: "We had a productive meeting with the industry's key players, and I thank the minister for her supportive comments. I look forward to collaborating with her on ways to reduce unnecessary regulation and other ways in which the NSW Government can support hemp growing and manufacture.
"In particular, I am looking for ways to support logging communities transition into new industries that are sustainable into the future."
Schmidt praised the NSW Government for taking a national leadership position on hemp legislation and opening up meaningful prospects for farmers.
"We appreciate this opportunity to present our issues to the minister," he said. "We look forward to continuing dialogue and securing support for important initiatives.
"These include deregulating hemp seed oil products for pet food, hemp products for food and beverages as well as further investing in research, advocacy and developing industry standards."
Vosper pointed to ongoing barriers facing an industry "where there is a potential $6 billion market for animal feed alone".
He added: "We are looking for the NSW Government to remove these roadblocks and unnecessary legislation. For instance, growers face problems with moving biomass from farm to farm, or from farm to processing facility. It took 17 years to legalise hemp seed products for food, but that allowed people to grow hemp food for profit on relatively small plots starting from 2017.
"Elsewhere in the world, where governments have invested in the industry, especially in processing facilities that come with a significant cost, the industry has taken off."
