International Hemp is seeing significant industrial hemp market growth as it develops new genetics

Date:04-05-2023

International Hemp, a global leader in the production and distribution of certified industrial hemp seed, is seeing its third year of 100% sales growth in North America. International Hemp’s genetics have been optimized for northern states and Canada, where its Polish-bred genetics perform best. In 2024 and 2025, International Hemp is expanding its commercial catalog, bringing new genetics to market that are suited for optimal performance in southern latitudes. These new genetics will more than double International Hemp’s sales area in North America, and open a considerable number of markets in South America.

Over the last two years, International Hemp successfully trialed and certified Carmenecta, a high-yielding, textile-grade fiber variety. Developed in Italy, Carmenecta is well adapted to Central and southern latitudes. Today, International Hemp is contracting with American farmers in several states for hundreds of acres of commercial, AOSCA-certified Carmenecta seed production, and expects sales to begin in 2024.

In 2022, International Hemp joined the Hemp Research Consortium, a multi-year, multi-million-dollar research and development initiative, funded by the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (″FFAR Consortium″) and private matching funds. Through the FFAR Consortium, International Hemp obtained the exclusive license for two Cornell University varieties, bred to offer exceptionally high fiber and grain yields in southern United States environments. University trial data on the performance of these varieties indicates that they will perform well as far south as Texas and the Florida panhandle, and they are anticipated to be the highest-yielding AOSCA-certified industrial hemp varieties on the market. In 2024, International Hemp will begin commercial production of the two Cornell varieties, with sales expected to begin in 2025.

Derek Montgomery, the CEO and President of International Hemp comments, ″It has been a tough couple of years for the industrial hemp market as a whole, as total acreage in the United States has been on the decline. Yet, our sales and market share continue to expand, and we are finally seeing fiber and grain processing being established. Our new varieties essentially open up the southern United States and South America for sales, so we are expecting significant sales growth in 2024 and 2025.″

International Hemp is not stopping with the development of these three new commercial varieties. It currently holds the right to license any new hemp genetics developed by Cornell through the FFAR Consortium until 2025. These include monoecious, dioecious, and autoflower varieties, optimized for northern, subtropical, and tropical latitudes, targeting traits for high-yields, pest-resistance, drought-resistance, and increased nutrition for the food and plant-based protein market.

Innovation and development in the industrial hemp space go beyond just genetics. In 2022, International Hemp purchased a state-of-the-art dual-cut combine from Europe to optimize harvest and seed production. Specifically designed for taller fiber varieties, like Carmenecta and Biaobrzeskie, this dual-cut combine allows for the harvest of fiber and grain in a single combine pass, reducing seed production costs and on-farm greenhouse emissions and increasing farmer yield and profits. International Hemp has worked with regional farmer groups, loaning out the combine during harvest season.