Hemp in China faces highs and lows
Local media have reported insights into China’s hemp textile industry, which suggest that rising costs and a lack of raw materials have had an “extremely negative” impact on the development of the nation’s hemp industry.
Recent years have seen hemp spinning continue to increase, along with growth in domestic sales of the fibre (although the industry tends to be more export-oriented).
However, China’s hemp textile industry is “highly dependent” on the importing of raw materials from overseas. While the domestic demand for hemp has expanded, the availability of domestic raw material has conversely “shrunk” over time.
The reduction of high-quality raw materials, as well as outdated production equipment, among other factors, is compounded by a relative lack of investment, compared to other textile industries. Available data from 2017 shows a year-on-year decrease in investments of around 14.2%. Added to this, the price of imported raw materials increased significantly - by 62.5% - between 2010 and 2015, for example.
Local experts point to the need to stabilise exports (particularly as a result of Brexit and the Sino-US trade war), while further expanding the Chinese hemp textile market and making full use of domestic resources, from production and processing to design, promotion and “other high value-added” product development initiatives.
Creating internet- and new media-friendly, hemp-based brands and pursuing “green” development, along with “high-level customisation”, were also suggested as pathways to success for hemp in China.
