A new state of the art hemp processing facility is opening up in Georgetown. The facility is run by Ecofibre Unlimited, an Australian company that is looking to develop new uses for hemp.
With a project cost of $16 million, and bringing in 60 new jobs to the city, the Kentucky Department of Agriculture’s hemp pilot program is hoping to make a mark in the growing industry. Officials hope that the crop will grow to be on par with other state staples like bourbon.
“This year we expect there to be somewhere between 800 and 900 Kentucky farmers growing hemp,” Ag Commissioner Ryan Quarles told the press. “Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15,000 acres, and we expect there to be over 200 hemp companies. That’s a 10-percent increase from last year to this year, and EcoFibre is one of many.”
To showcase the versatility and practicality of hemp, the company handed out reusable face masks made from Kentucky hemp.
“It’s not just about the use of what you read in the paper, it goes far deeper in terms of what can be done,” Ecofibre CEO Eric Wang said. “And I think it can bring about a lot of economic development and innovation to the state of Kentucky.”
Ecofibre is the world’s second-largest hemp company. The behemoth has sites in Australia, California, and Pennsylvania, in addition to Kentucky.
