“We are grateful for USDA confidence and the recognition of NIHC as the industry leader in industrial hemp trade and marketing,” said Kevin Latner, NIHC’s Senior Vice President for Trade and Marketing who will be responsible for implementing the program. “This makes NIHC a trusted partner to USDA for hemp fiber, feed, food, and CBD companies looking to break down trade barriers in markets overseas.”
Funds from the Market Access Program (MAP) will be used by NIHC worldwide to facilitate market access and trade policy work and foreign trade promotion. Including funding for business-to-business facilitation and marketing of consumers and brands. MAP funds for 2021 will be delivered to NIHC through the Midwest USA Food Export Association.
“We’re extremely confident and trust that NIHC will represent the best interests of U.S. industrial hemp abroad. We’re excited to be working with them as part of the USDA cooperator community,” said Tim Hamilton, Executive Director of the Midwest USA Food Export Association.
Focusing on Europe and China, the NIHC initiatives will include market analysis, trade policy, and trade facilitation. In 2019, the global demand for industrial hemp and goods has been valued at $11.1 billion in retail sales. The global market is expected to be worth $89 billion by 2025, with an annual growth rate of 52 percent, led by continued strength in textiles, food, and industrial uses, in addition to hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD).
Europe has rapidly established a robust demand for hemp and CBD. Europe is also a large producer of industrial use hemp products with $424 million in industrial product sales. With almost 80 percent of the $1.7 billion hemp fiber market in 2019, China has dominated the global textile markets.
Hemp is projected to develop rapidly in the manufacturing, textile, and CBD markets as the primary drivers of the growth of the global industry. The global hemp trade is expected to be $8.1 billion across all markets by 2021, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 83 percent for three years. The key sources of industrial hemp at present are Europe, China, and Canada. Although, the U.S. has taken the place of the third-largest producer of industrial hemp in the world with the passage of the 2018 Farm Bill.
