Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance reflects on strong 2020, despite pandemic

Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the Canadian hemp industry is pleased to see the industry continue to grow in 2020, says Keith Jones, board chair of the Canadian Hemp Trade Alliance (CHTA).

The CHTA’s National Hemp Conference was recently held online November 12 and 13, with speakers and participants from around the world, including Canada, the U.S., Latin America, Japan, China, and Australia.

Hemp is one of the most highly regulated crops in Canada, and Jones is pleased to hear that the Canadian government remains firmly behind seeing the industry continue to grow. Speakers from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, as well as Health Canada, were clear that hemp is here to stay from a regulatory point of view, Jones adds.

A day before the conference, the CHTA elected its Board of Directors, and held its annual general meeting. The new board of directors includes the following volunteers:

• Board chair, Keith Jones, Rowland Farms;
• Past chair, Russ Crawford, Agronomics IT;
• Vice chair and director, Clarence Shwaluk, Fresh Hemp Foods;
• Secretary/treasurer, Ryan Jackson, Folium Biosciences Canada;
• Director, Keanan Stone, Valley Bio Ltd.;
• Director, Tyler Mosher, BC Hop Co.;
• Director, Aaron Barr, Canadian Rockies Hemp Co.;
• Director, Don Dewar, Dewar Farms;
• Director, Jan Slaski, InnoTech Alberta;
• Director, Shane Chrapko, Birds & Bees Farmeries;
• Director, Carlos Agudelo, Eko-Terre;
• Director, Wilson Johnston, Blue Sky Hemp; and,
• Director, Jason Finnis, Bast Fibre Technologies

“Changes in our governance were approved by the membership this year, to enable the CHTA to continue to lead as a national agriculture and food industry association,” says Jones. “I am pleased to announce the Board’s appointment of Ted Haney as our first President and Chief Financial Officer, effective November 12, 2020.”

The CHTA is a national industry association that shares information, promotes the use of nutritional and industrial hemp products, and develops standards and coordinates research for the hemp value chain.