The BC Hemp Corporation is hoping to break ground on a $350 million industrial production site in Prince George.
The company is planning for a site to be at the northeast corner of Johnson Road and the Old Cariboo Highway, representatives announced this morning (March 11).
"Building a strong and growing future for our community is the main drive of BC Hemp Corporation Inc.," CEO Michael Fazakas says in a release. "Together we can grow the north!"
If approved, the company says production would start within the next two years and would create more than 1,500 jobs near B.C.'s northern capital.
They also say the project would generate more than $75 million in wages annually.
The production site would focus on hemp fibre and grain, the corporation says.
As part of the proposed site, there would be a 100-acre test crop, testing different varieties of hemp and cultivation methods.
B.C. Hemp says they are reaching out to First Nations, farmers and communities to develop:
- Educational programs
- Land leasing/renting and purchasing programs
- Methods to grow industrial hemp
- Community capacity to produce and sell hemp
- Secondary businesses which use hemp
"The focus will be on developing an organic and environmentally-focused ability to grow hemp," the release adds. "Having the production facility in Northern British Columbia will significantly increase the value of the hemp cultivated in the North."
"The market for fibre and grain is both international and domestic. BC Hemp plans to encourage local entrepreneurs to use hemp to produce some of the over 55,000 products made from industrial hemp. They will sell the processed material at a very competitive rate to local businesses to achieve this goal. One of the advantages of growing industrial hemp and making products is that this captures CO2 from the environment. Currently, they are in early talks with UNBC to see just how much CO2 will be achieved by growing industrial hemp."
