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India to witness hemp sector's rise in 2020: Hemp Horizons

15
Jan '20

Pic: Shutterstock

Hemp Horizons, an Indian start-up dealing in hemp-based products, is looking to expand into the fashion arena. According to one of the company’s directors Rohit Shah, as hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, is associated with narcotics, its development has been seriously hampered in India. The hemp industry is likely to witness a rise this year, the firm foresees.

While a new act legalising industrial hemp in Uttarakhand has helped, the plant still stays more limited than other crops, Shah said.

The company's main aim is to enlighten people about the differences between hemp and marijuana, and introduce them to the benefits of this non-psychedelic variety.

In 2019, sale of hemp seeds and hemp seed oil witnessed a rise in India, the company said in a press release. These products are utilised primarily as dietary supplements to lose weight, as a source of vitamins, essential fatty acids, proteins etc.

Health Horizons is looking to expand into the textile industry because hemp as a fibre shows great potential as well. It has a unique framework that allows the body to breathe easily and adjust to the external temperature, irrespective of whether it is hot or cold. The fabric is additionally soft, long-lasting, easily washable and fire-proof.

Shah also asserts hemp is better than cotton and a significant advantage is it helps the environment by reducing the carbon footprint. Hemp breathes in four times the carbon dioxide than any other plant.

Besides, hemp is a quickly developing plant (weed) that expends fundamentally less water than cotton and doesn't require herbicides, pesticides, manufactured composts or transgenic seeds, Shah added.