44 Investor Report Industrial Hemp Sector New Zealand ’ s New Export Opportunity 2020
while seed sales are forecasted to remain steady at US $ 180-200 million ( 10 ).
HEMP FIBRE COMPANIES IN NEW ZEALAND
Hemp fibre companies operating under the current licensing regime are in their infancy in New Zealand , but there is a real opportunity to invest in fibre , both for the local market and for export to a growing global market . Considerable research has been carried out in New Zealand on hemp fibre and some small hemp fibre companies have operated from time to time . However , it has been difficult to build a sustainable business for many reasons , including lack of capital , lack of customer awareness about hemp , building regulations , market size / lack of scale , and lack of harvesting and processing plants .
Hempcrete is made from a mixture of hurd / shiv , lime and water , mixed like concrete and pressed between boxing to form an interior and exterior wall simultaneously . http :// hemptastic . co . nz / uses /
construction /
‘ The hemp fibre manufacturing industry has been held back by the lack of processing facilities with the necessary technology . However , in late 2020 this problem should be solved when the NZ Yarn plant in Christchurch is transformed into a hemp fibre processing facility with a European sourced “ decortication ” machine which processes stalks , separating different grades of fibre suitable for different end user customers ’. Dave Jordan , CEO Hemp NZ and Hemp Farm NZ ( 15 )
NEW PROCESSING TECHNOLOGIES
In addition , technological developments around the processing of fibre will lead to new opportunities
• Hemp processing machinery that separates hemp fibres , hurd and leaves .
• Machinery that converts hemp into pulp , lignin , sugars , flowers and seed oil .
• Machinery that manufactures fibres of various grades , including soft fibres for clothing .
• Methods of making 100 % hemp plastics and packaging materials which can be molded and used as coatings .
• Use of hemp to make carbon nanosheets which store energy better than graphene ( at much lower cost ) and can be used to make supercapacitors and batteries .
• Rapid production of ‘ hempwood ’ which is 20 % denser than oak .
• Hemp fabric blends that are highly resistant to bacteria .
• Hemp insulation , building materials and geo textile applications .
ENVIRONMENTAL BENEFITS
The carbon reduction targets to which NZ is committed to , require all industries to urgently address the reduction of their carbon footprint .
The hemp industry has the opportunity to grow rapidly by becoming a low carbon substitute for fossil fuels in almost every manufacturing and service industry . These include :
Construction Insulation material ( breathable , fireproof , degradable at end-of-life ) Use of hempcrete , hemp fibreboards and hemp insulation and composites in new buildings , reclads , and retrofits . In residential