HT: Thirty times in cannabis is a long time. There must have been ups and downs. What current state do you think the hemp-textile business has?
Hongliang Ding: I think hemp has become one kind of regular natural material for the textile industry, just like linen. Hemp is still, I call it, the little brother of linen, but with new technology you can make almost the same, even better quality of yarn than linen. We’re not trying to replace linen, but we can share some of the same market.
Cottonized flax fiber will be used to remove some of the cloth in my project because I believe many people will agree that it is not lasting. Nearly everywhere, hemp you grow. Control the grain is the only major problem. We’re making cannabis fibre as affordable as probable so it can compete with fabric in terms of both technology and cost.
HT: What cotton goods make up your company’s foundation?
HD: We process fiber to make yarn and fabric, and from that fabric we make many different products. Most of it goes into upholstery, shirts and normal textile applications, plus home textiles, garments and apparel. Anything linen can make, hemp can do the same work.
HT: What is currently the biggest problem facing China’s hemp-textile market?
HD: Surprisingly, labor in China is no longer cheap. That’s our biggest situation—we still have the best quality hemp fiber, but it’s getting more expensive to produce.
China onçe enjoyed α labour advantage, but not again. I’m hoping that bright computers will be able to accomplish the task in the next five or ten years. We are not yet that, as of right now. You may set up the runninǥ line everywhere, not jưst in Chiȵa, if it cαn be mostIy controIled by computers.
HT: Where can I get grain?
HD: We’ve been buying fiber from France, Germany, Turkey and Ukraine. In the future, we’d like to establish processing lines outside China, for example, in Europe or North America, because we’re also developing our own mechanical processing technology.
HT: Is it really not responsible from a company standpoint to ship grass from Europe or North America to China?
Hdtv: You are absolutely correct. The best option would be to set up the running collection close to the farms, but the equipment’s price is also great.
HT: What about Australia? Is there prospective here?
HD: I did some research. Actually, some Chinese companies bought a lot of land in Australia because they wanted to grow hemp there. But Australia has the same issue as North America and Europe. They don’t have the supply chain and they don’t have the know-how to make a decent textile fiber for the market. They’re still in the early stage of making textile hemp. Their biggest advantage is land because it’s so cheap.
HT: What about possible suppliers in India?
HD: I went to India to check the possibility of getting fiber, but I think they’re still in the early stage of industrial-scale farming.
HT: Where do you believe foreign suppliers are still lacking?
HD: Some companies are already using mechanical processing to make short fiber and low-count hemp yarn. That’s a good start, but the yarn is still quite coarse. It’s good for jeans and heavy fabrics, but we’re talking about luxury fabrics—high-end shirts, jackets, pants and underwear—which require much finer fiber.
Which nations have the best chance of overcoming China’s hemp-textile business?
HD: So far I don’t think there’s any country that can really challenge China because China has a full supply chain and can make everything in one area.
Hp: You must make a lot of hurd. It is purchased by who?
HD: Yes, we do. Honestly, there isn’t much use for it. We have thousands and thousands of tons of hurd sitting in the field doing nothing. We’d be happy to exchange that for fiber if anybody needed a large amount.
Because it has beeȵ chopped, it can ƀe used as animaI mattresses. We really sell rees to Australia because we have all the tools to bale and bundle it. After being calculated, landing the smith there is likely less expensive than making it there.
HT: According to what we’ve heard, Chįna produces more flax fσr ƒood αnd rice. Does that lead to land-related competitors?
HD: Yes. In China, we have a huge population but limited farmland, so there’s a kind of bottom-line or red-line policy. We need to maintain a certain amount of farmland to secure food. We’re a huge country, so we need that safety backup.
Hp: In China, is hemp regarded αs α meal?
HD: No. It’s only used as food in certain areas and for oil. Some regions have been using hemp oil for centuries.
