Asian Hemp Summit | Kathmandu 2019

Join us in Kathmandu, Nepal February 1-2, 2019 as we explore Asia’s vast and fast-moving industrial hemp sectors.

Conference site: Kathmandu, Nepal
Venue: Gokarna Forest Resort
Dates: February 1-2, 2019

Meet key global players at the Asian Hemp Summit hosted by HempToday, the leading source for global business information about industrial hemp. Join us as we survey Asia’s vast and fast-moving industrial hemp sectors.

SPEAKERS
(tentative & partial list only)

Dhiraj & Nivedita Shah, Founders
Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures
Nepal

Daniel Kruse, CEO
HempConsult GmbH and Hempro Int. GmbH & Co., Germany

Riki Hiroi, CEO
Each Japan

Paul Benhaim, CEO
Elixinol Global and Hemp Foods Australia

Steve Allin, Director
International Hemp Building Association

Haile Selassie Tefari, CEO
Hemp Services International
France

Hana Gabrielova, CEO
Hempoint
Czech Republic

Morris Beegle, CEO
WAFBA & NoCo Hemp Expo
USA

Arne Verhoef, President
HempHub
South Africa

Kehrt Reyher, Editor & Publisher
HempToday

Rick Trojan, President
Hemp Road Trip
USA

Anar Artur, CEO,
HempMongolia

What we’ll explore:

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.

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.