Hemp, Inc. Announces Its 2nd Successful Year's Kenaf Harvest

SPRING HOPE, NC--(Marketwired - Feb 21, 2017) - Hemp, Inc. (OTC PINK: HEMP) is proud to announce its second Kenaf harvest from its wholly owned subsidiary, Industrial Hemp Manufacturing, LLC, in Spring Hope, North Carolina. Executives say the 420 acres of Kenaf, a cousin plant to hemp, have been cut and raked and are now currently being baled. Trucks have already started transporting the kenaf to Hemp, Inc.'s 70,000 square foot industrial hemp processing facility where it is being was weighed and stored. "This is another huge milestone for Hemp, Inc. From seed, to harvest, to paying the farmers, our 420-acre Kenaf crop epitomizes success. We are a part of this local farming community and to be able to continue to inject revenue into something which we have become a part, feels good," says David Schmitt, COO of Hemp, Inc.'s Industrial Hemp Manufacturing.

Though Schmitt is looking forward to planting a massive hemp crop later this year, he says this year's harvest, of approximately five million pounds of Kenaf collectively yielded from several farmers in North Carolina, will bring in a huge amount of revenue for Hemp, Inc.

Kenaf (hibiscus cannabinus) is an annual, non-wood fiber plant that is indigenous to central Africa. Kenaf is a plant in the Malvaceae family also called Deccan hemp and Java jute. It has been likened to okra and cotton and typically grows 12 to 18 feet tall in a six-month growing season. The raw fiber has been known to grow well in many parts of the United States and has been considered an eco-friendlier way to make paper without cutting down trees.

This Kenaf crop being delivered to IHM now represents about a 70% increase from the first year's kenaf crop of only 150 acres. Per Perlowin, the company expects a 700% plantage increase next year. This represents up to 50 farmers. Documenting every step of the harvest, this video shows one of the first trucks delivering approximately 30,000 pounds of kenaf.

Bruce Perlowin, CEO of Hemp, Inc., commented, "I've been onsite and hands-on and this continues to be an amazing journey for not only Hemp, Inc. but for the local farmers. We have been and will continue to do what we can to make a difference in the American economy."

Schmitt also stated, "In the next 21 days, we expect to have the entire harvest in our processing facility. Once it is baled, the kenaf is then transported to our processing facility. It's moving so quickly that our team will be working 12-hour shifts throughout the next few weeks to get it all stacked for processing, now that the mill is complete." Perlowin also mentioned the company plans on employing around 100 people at the plant the first year after full production begins and around 200 people for the year after that.