Hemp fibre is found to have been used in making cloth long before the advent of agriculture nine to 15 thousand years ago. Despite its historical significance, hemp cultivation, including for industrial purposes, is banned in Nepal.
Since its prohibition in 1976, Nepal has neither actively pursued nor considered commercial hemp cultivation. However, in some regions, farmers produce fibre and oil on a small scale.
Hemp bags, made from fibres extracted from the cannabis plant, which can grow up to 20 feet tall, are primarily produced in the western hill districts of Rolpa, Bajhang, Jumla, and Bajura.
Locals boil the plant’s stem in ash water to separate the fibre, which is then woven into fabric on handlooms. The hemp cloth is then supplied to manufacturers who use it to sew bags. Depending on quality and size, hemp bags cost between Rs600 and Rs5,000.
Besides bags, hemp can be refined into a variety of products with industrial and commercial value—products like paper, rope, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastic, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.
Hemp, or industrial hemp, is a Cannabis sativa cultivar explicitly grown for industrial and consumable use in many countries.
Along with bamboo, hemp is one of the fastest-growing plants on Earth.
Recent research suggests that hemp, or bhang, could play a crucial role in Nepal’s economy, making a case for its legal cultivation and industrialisation.
A study by Nepali researchers based in Nepal, the US, and the Netherlands, published in the journal Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, proposes hemp as an alternative crop that could transform Nepal’s agricultural sector.
The study estimates that Nepal could produce approximately 3.1-4.6 million tonnes of solid fuel, 0.5-0.9 million tonnes of fibre, and 126-174 million litres of biodiesel annually.
