Hemp is a cannabis family annual plant, but it is not marijuana. Because of its adaptability, it is commonly used to create a wide range of products. Hemp is a common fiber used to make rope; it can also be used to make paper and hemp cloth. Hemp is also used to make a variety of products such as textiles, biofuel, biodegradable plastics, cosmetics, medicine, and so on. Hemp seeds have been used in bird feed and can be used in the production of oil-based paints, creams as a saturating agent, cooking, and plastics.
Hemp has a long history in Nepal. Because of its strength, resilience, and durability, it has been used as a fiber for generations. Although hemp has a long history and has the potential to provide employment opportunities for disadvantaged and impoverished Nepalis, its industrial cultivation remains illegal. That is why people only use plants that grow naturally and wild in rural and mountainous areas.
In Nepal’s western villages, the slow, complex, and exhausting process of extracting hemp fiber is entirely done by hand. All of the steps in the production of hemp cloth, from sowing seeds to the various stages of fiber processing, to spinning and weaving the yarn, are still primarily performed by women.
Nepali hemp is harvested in the autumn after a 120-day growth period, without the use of pesticides, fungicides, or chemical fertilizers, and is then left to dry. The bark is separated from the stem after several weeks of soaking in water. The fibrous portion of the plant is teased out, twisted, sun dried, beaten with a wooden stick (to soften it), and then spun. The thread is boiled with water and wood ash after spinning and rinsed several times.
The villagers receive around $5 for the 3-4m long handwoven hemp fabrics. In addition to agriculture, this is a significant source of income. It enables people to pay for their children’s school fees or to purchase medicine. (Most Nepalese earn less than $ 200 per year and live on less than $ 2 per day.)
Hemp is a source of hope in Nepal, a country with a high rate of unemployment, particularly in rural areas where no other viable source of income exists. It is a significant source of income for villagers and their families who have no other options for employment in or near their villages. We hope that the Nepali government will soon allow industrial hemp cultivation in order to help their country and its people. Hemp is one of the most sustainable, versatile, and environmentally friendly plants on the planet, and we hope that the future is bright for Nepal and its hardworking people.
