Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Says Major Car Company Wants To Grow Hemp On The Island

Wikipedia tells us that the following car companies are operating in Canada… We won’t hazard a guess which one Shaw is speaking to

Foreign automakers that have plants in Canada:

  • Chrysler Canada.
  • Ford Motor Company of Canada.
  • General Motors Canada.
  • Hino Canada.
  • Honda Canada.
  • Toyota Canada.

Here’s the Jamaica Observer report

MONTEGO BAY, St James — Minister of Industry, Commerce, Agriculture and Fisheries Audley Shaw has disclosed that Government is zealously seeking to facilitate a top-tier motor vehicle company desirous of cultivating industrial hemp in Jamaica.

Shaw recently returned from a cannabis business exploration mission in Canada.

“A major motor car company is interested to grow hemp in Jamaica for use as an alternative in the fabric and decoration of their vehicles,” Shaw announced. “That is being actively pursued right now,” he added.

In fact, noting that with the international cannabis industry set to flourish by some US$150 billion in the next seven years, Shaw is adamant that “we in Jamaica need to step up our game in this very important industry, otherwise the rest of the world is going to run away and leave us.

“In a couple years’ time it will approach a US$100-billion industry and by 2025 it is estimated to reach a US$150-billion globally,” Shaw noted.

For instance, he argued that in Canada where he visited “a couple weeks ago” the cannabis industry is quickly galloping towards the Can$20-billion mark.

“What is happening over there with hemp and cannabis is nothing short of awesome. It’s already rapidly approaching a Can$20-billion industry. Two companies over the past several weeks have merged to create, in one case, a Can$8-billion company, another case a Can$7 billion company — and they are listed on the Canadian stock exchange,” Shaw remarked.

More at  http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/news/shaw-top-motor-company-wants-to-grow-hemp-in-jamaica_135491?profile=1373

 

This Loop Jamaica report suggests there’s already a political push to find suitable land to grow hemp on the island…

St James politicians moot hemp cultivation on idle cane lands

Chairman of the Build Expo and Conference, Dwight Crawford, is urging that idle sugarcane lands across the country be used for the cultivation of industrial hemp.

He says the cultivation of hemp will breathe fresh life into communities whose economies in the past, relied heavily on the cultivation of sugarcane.

“Jamaicans are farmers at heart, so when we observe the levels of unused farm lands, its telling. So therefore, smart ideas like the conversion of abandoned cane lands into hemp lands, for example, will stimulate some of these once vibrant communities,” Crawford, a councillor in the St James Municipal Corporation, remarked.

He was speaking at the start of Build Expo and Conference, which kicked off at the Montego Convention Centre on Friday, June 8, and will run to Monday, June 11.

The event, which was conceptualised by Crawford to promote the local construction industry and encourage homeownership and property development, is also geared at emphasising clean, alternative energy solutions and environmentally-friendly practices.

“Climate change is being influenced by human interventions in a negative way, and therefore we at Build Expo believe that with innovative ideas such as hemp (cultivation), we can produce more environmental-friendly ways to build our nation,” Crawford suggested.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the St James Municipal Corporation and Montego Bay Mayor, Homer Davis, threw his support behind Crawford’s idea.

“Councillor Crawford has embarked on the idea of putting our cane lands into growing hemp that can be used in the construction industry. You have the support of the St James Municipal Corporation,” stated Davis.

 

Source: http://www.loopjamaica.com/content/st-james-politicians-moot-hemp-cultivation-idle-cane-lands

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