2019 Asian Hemp Summit

About the Summit

Hemp industry pioneers from around the world will converge for the 2019 Asian Hemp Summit taking place February 1st and 2nd, 2019 at the Gokarna Forest Resort in Kathmandu, Nepal. Hosted by HempToday, a source for global business information about industrial hemp, the Asian Hemp Summit will explore Asia’s vast and fast-moving industrial hemp sectors and feature global players in its speaker lineup.

Topics Covered:

• Investing in Asian Hemp
• Cultivation & Harvesting
• CBD
• Food & Drink
• Health & Beauty, Cosmetics
• Textiles & Accessories
• Building Materials & Construction
• Biocomposites
• Farming Equipment
• Extraction & Other Processing Technology
• Import/Export
• Research & Development

China

By far the world’s leading hemp nation, China has the biggest hemp growing fields of any contiguous market in the world. Chinese authorities earlier this decade rolled out a great plan to plant hemp on 1,333,333 ha. to produce 2,000,000 tons of fibres – and that’s only to feed the country’s textile mills, which primarily turn out exports. But other sectors – food, medical, cosmetics – are also in rapid buildup while research expands.

Aside from its landmass, huge and inexpensive work force and a massive domestic market, China is geographically positioned to take advantage of the nearby export markets of Japan, Korea, India and Australia, where demand grows for hemp food, cosmetics and health products.

All this has attracted the attention of investors who are welcomed by Chinese stakeholders.

India

Indian hemp stakeholders have said foreign investment could help the industry grow rapidly, and that the country can have a big role in the export market within five years. Opportunities are seen in the medicinal, food and cosmetics sectors, followed by textiles & fashions, bio-composites and construction.

South Korea

Imports to the Asian nation jumped are rising rapidly as South Korean consumers have swiftly taken to hemp foods as a replacement for fish oil, and spurred by consumer uptake of hemp foods driven primarily by their entry onto tele-marketing programs. Along with foods, hemp has been a source of fabric for Korea since ancient times

Hemp is cultivated for bast fiber and seed in several of the numerous fertile inland valleys of the Republic of Korea, and turned into high quality commercial hemp cloth. Stakeholders say understanding traditional hemp farming and processing strategies will guide modernization of South Korean hemp production.

Thailand

With the Thai government now allowing the cultivation of hemp for research purposes, entrepreneurs are incorporating the multipurpose plant in their products and exporting them around the world. While hemp fields are still heavily regulated and for government purposes, that’s expected to change, first to meet local demand for hemp fabrics.

Mongolia

The Mongolian government is developing a strategic plan for agriculture to create an economic growth model. The new policies, aimed at creating scalable employment and diversifying the country’s economy by focusing on sustainability, innovation and new technologies, are driving public finance programs – and giving the agricultural sector momentum. Hemp fits into that strategy perfectly, stakeholders say. With engineering and agricultural knowhow in a rapid development phase in Mongolia, early entrants can tap into a rich pool of human resources coming out of the country’s historically strong educational system.

Kazakhstan

Hemp cultivation in the country continues to expand and last year the Agriculture Ministry said around six square kilometers of hemp were cultivated in the southern Almaty region. The hopes are to increase that to 40 square kilometers this year. A processing plant opened towards the end of 2017 to serve the region. Currently, harvested seeds are exported to the Netherlands while fibre is exported to Russia and China. Although Kazakhstan officials hope to open new markets.

Sri Lanka

Within the country Cannabis sativa can be bought legally through Ayuverda herbal shops. The country is planning to produce around 25 tons of medical marihuana by the end of this year. The production side of approximately 400 hectare will supply cannabis to the traditional indigenous medicine sector and potentially it will be exported as well.

Japan

Despite its modest potential for production, there is growing enthusiasm for hemp, an ancient crop in Japan. Stakeholders see massive potential in the consumer market, projecting a need for significant imports as awareness of hemp products grows – especially food and medical hemp. Stakeholders are working hard to pass along hemp traditions and to bring young entrepreneurs into the fold.