Ntchisi North Legislature continues to advocate for the legalization of Industrial Hemp, through the National Assembly following Wednesday’s remarks that the best answer to the accelerating depletion of trees and forests in the country due to charcoal burning industry and need for wood and timber is to start cultivation of Industrial Hemp.
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| Kadzamira |
Honorable Kadzamira remarks on Wednesday came when contributing to the debate in the House on the Report of the Delegation to the 3rd Inter-Parliamentary Hearing on Exemplary Forest Policies in Africa held in Nairobi, Kenya from 30th September to 3rd October, 2014 by the Honorable member for Chitipa South
Honorable Kadzamira told house that the country will reduce the need to cut down of forests once people begins substituting hemp fiberboard for timber and that a decent income to be realized from cultivation of the cash crop also will help poor families from cutting down trees as means to earn a living.
“We have tried everything but we are not solving the problem” said Kadzamira in an interview after his contribution in the House, “I was suggesting that we can use communities around mountains and forests to engage them in Industrial Hemp farming because advantage of Industrial Hemp is that we can make a lot of products from Industrial Hemp.”
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| Garments made from Industrial Hemp |
“Our forests are depleting because people are just cutting down trees in order to earn a living; to sell charcoal and wood for a living. So I was saying we can protect our forests if we engage communities around the forests into Industrial Hemp for farming.
This Industrial Hemp can be used for paper, wood, fibre, and for everything. In that way people will stop wantonly cutting down trees, because they will have something to use in order to earn a living. I was putting across a suggestion to government to employ that measure.” He said
As measures to replenish the environment through re-forestation and more awareness of importance of planting and protecting trees are underway, on the other hand poor families are increasingly cutting down trees and invading forests in order to get wood, timber and burn charcoal to earns them little income.
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| These varieties of products were made from hemp |
With incessant wanton cutting down of trees in Malawi for charcoal, wood and timber, mostly by vulnerable poor families to earn a living, Industrial Hemp seem to be the viable solution because the hemp which is also a cash crop can be used to obtain same products made from trees and other wide range of durable construction materials and health products.
If Malawians begin to grow the hemp as cash crop, farmers will earn good income and save the trees because there is likelihood that this will lead to establishment of more manufacturing industries that will use the crop to produce wide range of products.
Industrial hemp is known for quality products including: all types of paper products from tissue paper to cardboards; food made from the hemp seeds which contain a protein that is more nutritious; Hemp seed oil can be used to produce non-toxic diesel fuel, paint, varnish, detergent, ink and lubricating oil and the list is endless.
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| Industrial Hemp Products |
On farming part, the hemp can indeed save trees in the country because it is ready for harvesting only 120 days after it is planted while it takes years for trees to grow until they can be harvested for paper or wood. As well, Industrial hemp can also do well in Malawi because the hemp can grow on most land suitable for farming.
It is estimated that on an annual basis, 1 acre of hemp will produce as much fiber as 2 to 3 acres of cotton and that 1 acre of hemp will produce as much paper as 2 to 4 acres of trees. Unlike other cash crops, Industrial Hemp triumphs on the fact that it does not require pesticides and herbicides in the production but only moderate amounts of fertilizer.
