How Malawi Economy Wins Through Industrial Hemp
Industrial Hemp Farm |
In
a historic way, the Malawi National Assembly on Thursday, 16th June
2016, adopted a motion legalizing the cultivation of the Industrial Hemp for
its economic and health benefits.
Ntchisi
North Legislator, Boniface Kadzamira presented the motion which has been
appearing in the Order Paper since in February this year but the motion failed
to be debated.
But
Hon. Kadzamira came back with the Motion on Thursday, which reads “That
considering the the enormous economic, medical and nutritional value Industrial
Hemp has this House to resolves that Government should legalise the growing and
usage of Industrial Hemp and that both at policy and legislation levels,
industrial Hemp must be recognized appropriately as an agricultural cash crop
for industrial purposes distinct from cannabis varieties”
Distinguishing it from locally known ‘Chamba’ Marijuana, Kadzamira said the plant is harmless and contains absolutely insignificant levels of THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) which makes one feel high when smoking Marijuana.
Seconding
the motion, Lilongwe City Centre legislator, Hon. David Bisnowaty said the
plant has rich history of being used in countries like United States of America
and Asia and emphasized that the plant can play significant role to Malawi economy
once the cultivation and usage is legalized.
Throwing
their weight, several cabinet Ministers also supported the cultivation and use
of the Industrial Hemp.
Peter Kumpalume: Malawi Health Minister supports hemp |
Minister
of Health, Peter Kumpalume while supporting the motion noted that countries
that have made Industrial Hemp legal, have strict measures in place to regulate
the varieties that people can grow and they register any farmer interested in
cultivating the Hemp as well making sure that the hemp varieties are tested.
“I
would only make this proposition that in as far as the content value of
industrial hemp to any country is well documented we also need to controls in
place to make sure that we regulate the varieties and register everybody who is
growing and monitor them so we need those in place before we can fully grow
this product” said Kumpalume
Invegrow's Mr. Nebert Nyirenda telling MPs more about hemp (pic. by Invegrow) |
Health products from hemp during Invegrow exhibition 2015 |
Minister of Industry, Trade and Tourism, Joseph Mwanamvekha also said “It is true that in terms of value that we can accrue by growing and trading are quite huge compared to some of the crops that we are growing. And also, in terms of trade, as you are ware that we want to move from predominantly importing and consuming to an economy where we are producing and exporting.”
Chaponda: Agriculture Minister supports hemp |
Then,
Agriculture Minister, George Chaponda while supporting the motion, expressed
fear that without giving the hemp a local name that distinguish it from
Marijuana ‘Chamba’ the plant will bring confusion in terms of regulation and
control of real ‘Chamba’ Marijuana.
“They
look the same.” He said, adding that with the similar name of Chamba, police
officers will have difficulties and gave an example of two persons where one
carry Industrial Hemp and another carry Marijuana but when police officer asks
both of them what is in their possession they both reply ‘Chamba.’
“Then
the police officer say, but this one is allowed [and not this Chamba]. So, how do
you do? These are things that we need to look.” He noted while supporting the
motion
Hon Agnes Nyalonje: demands linguists to give hemp a local name |
But
Mzimba North Legislator, Agnes Nyalonje made a very significant point regarding
the naming of the hemp. While calling for the country to change attitudes
towards the research, technology and innovations she said as the trials will
give evidence which will demonstrate whether the hemp has intoxicant or is a valuable
economic crop, it is time to linguists must find a different local name that
speaks about the Industrial Hemp.
“We
should challenge our linguists to look at the language, because what is its
name, in this case a lot is in the name. The fact that we don’t have the name,
we are reduced to using the same name for two very different things. And that
is why it creates in the minds of everybody, educated and uneducated all have
the same fears.” She said
Jumbe: bio-safety of hemp and research first before growing |
However,
Salima Central, legislator, who is also Chairperson for Agriculture in the
House, Felix Jumbe suggested that at this stage Malawi should firstly proceed
with appropriate bio-safety regulations and a proper research before looking at
growing and usage.
Winding
up the motion, Hon Kadzamira acknowledged the fears expressed by the members as
genuine but stressed that this is where the country needs to have proper
licensing for the would be growers and that linguists from Chancellor College
will possibly come up with the local name of the plant in order to remove the
confusion between the plant and ‘Chamba’, Marijuana.
The
adoption of this motion will form a basis to change some sections of law that
prohibits cultivation and use of hemp in Malawi.
Hemp trial site at Research Station in Lilongwe (pic. by Invegrow) |
pic. by Invegrow |
Invegrow
together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development are
currently carrying out research trials for Industrial Hemp at Chitedze Research
Station in the capital city Lilongwe.
The
first round of the results from the research were exciting as Malawi Bureau of
Standards (MBS) found that the varieties that were used in the trial had very
low THC and that the plant can be grown in the country.
Industrial Hemp Promising Future For Malawi
Malawi
economy is poorly performing and is going through various socioeconomic
challenges, key among them being the food insecurity crisis. But the main reasons
making the economy continue to face challenges is the narrow export base and
failure to find a better cash crop that can help bring forex into the country.
The
country’s main forex earner, tobacco, is each year facing challenges that
include the anti-smoking lobby campaigns by World Health Organisation (WHO) and
deteriorating prices that farmers are offered in Auction Floors.
Adoption
of this motion in the National Assembly comes at a time when Government is working
out on crop diversification and is in search to identify and adopt new cash
crops. The country understands that crop diversification and setting priority
to crops that have high economic spillovers into higher earning value added
products and which have a high potential for pro-poor growth can set the
country on a path of economic structural transformation and industrialization.
One
crop which has more economic promises is Industrial Hemp. The hemp is an outstanding
crop, real solution on the search for alternative cash crop to complement
economic benefits that the struggling tobacco industry brings to the country.
Unlike
tobacco, where the market channel is largely from farmers to the buyer then the
buyer export the material outside the country for manufacturing of products
especially cigarettes, the hemp can bring more to the economy. It can lead to
the establishment of manufacturing companies to
manufacture astonishing number of products,
bring jobs, bring real income to farmers, forex and tax as well as save
environment.
Products from Hemp (pic. by Invegrow) |
According to North American Industrial Hemp Council (NAIHC), products that can be made from hemp number over 25,000 and the products include; health foods, body care and cosmetic products, fabrics and textiles, auto parts, bio fuels and industrial oils, paper, furnishing and construction products.
Over 31 countries including Canada, Britain, France, Germany, Spain and China cultivate and process industrial hemp, it is grown for fiber and grain. The literature says Henry Ford even built a prototype car from biocomposite materials, using agricultural fiber such as hemp.
Because
of importance, hemp seed, fiber and oil are still used in raw materials by
major companies to make a wide variety of products and most hemp product manufacturers
are importing hemp seed, oil and fiber from growers in Canada, Europe, and
China.
Papers made from hemp |
Legalizing the farming of
hemp, the country will open up investments in manufacturing industry and make
Malawi a producer and exporter of final products made from the hemp.
Export of these
locally made products will bring the country’s much needed forex and also solve
the lamentable collection of tax and non-tax revenues that have
also declined.
Again, coming in of the
manufacturing industries will mean better jobs that will help to end the unemployment
among the youth who form large part of the country’s population.
Not only that, farming of
hemp will be a viable economic activity because of the more benefits a farmer
will get after sales of the plant seeds and stalk. Such farming will reduce
high poverty levels the country is facing and will be real income generating
activity for rural area farmers.
And industrial hemp farming
is even cheaper as compared to other crops because the hemp does not require
chemicals and fertilizers that most farmers fail to buy. Additionally, as the
country is still experiencing bad weather conditions like droughts, Hemp
net environmental benefit is impressive.
Among the more salient features, hemp grows in a variety of
climates and soil types, is naturally resistant to most pests, and grows very
tightly spaced allowing it to outcompete most weeds.
Concrete, ropes, boards and books products of hemp |
Furthermore,
the hemp will offer the persisting environmental degradation being caused by
wanton cutting down of trees for timber and firewood. The hemp can be a
replacement for timber as fibre boards for hemp are even much stronger and
lighter.
Hope for Malawi economy is
Agriculture which this year is enjoying a large share of national budget for
2016/17 financial year where up to 17 percent of total allocation has gone to
this sector. This allocation proves Government stance that the sector will
remain the backbone of the economy. But this also means that the country need
to make right choice when prioritizing crops that have high economic value and
the National Assembly has spoken.
Is Industrial Hemp, Marijuana ‘Chamba’?
Industrial hemp has been confused with a cannabis plant ‘Marijuana or Chamba’ probably because of an obvious reason that industrial hemp is new plant and many have never seen it fresh from the farm.
With
daily media reports in Malawi about people being arrested for possession of
Marijuana which is locally grown, and lack of finding proper vernacular name
for industrial hemp, many people are failing to find distinction between the
hemp and Marijuana and are engulfed with fear that legalizing the hemp would
result into Marijuana legalization.
Industrial
Hemp is purely grown as an agricultural crop and widely recognized as one of
the oldest domesticated crop for various industrial applications including,
paper, textiles, and cordage.
Although
the hemp comes from varieties of cannabis sativa and of the same species as
Marijuana [locally known Chamba], the hemp is genetically different and distinguished
by its use and chemical makeup because it is the plant which is low in THC
(Tetrahydrocannabinol) which is Marijuana’s primary psychoactive chemical that
makes one high.
Industrial hemp farms are quite different from Marijuana farms |
Hemp fiber |
Unlike Marijuana, the Industrial Hemp is a plant that is only used for industrial purposes and not for smoking as ‘Chamba’ is widely used. And it not true that legalizing industrial hemp will even encourage non-smokers to start smoking, but, it will be a crop that will make many Malawians start to earn good income from farming.
Distinguish
hemp from Marijuana through proper awareness and sensitization, telling people importance
of hemp as well as giving it a proper vernacular name, it will help many people
to start to appreciate what Industrial Hemp is.
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