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NIHC Kicks Off 2021 Hemp Business Summit

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Industrial Hemp Council (NIHC), the only Washington, D.C.-based trade association in the hemp industry, this morning kicked off it’s 2021 Hemp Business Summit at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.

Highlighting the summit will be speaker’s from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Senate Finance Committee Chairman Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Congressman Curt Schrader (D-OR).

“We’re excited to bring this event to America’s hemp farmers, processors, retailers and consumers,” said NIHC President and CEO Patrick Atagi. “When we hosted this event in 2019 in Portland, we were announcing ourselves as a new organization. Today, our members are here to learn from the experts in our industry and hear updates about the important programs NIHC has implemented to strengthen the brand of hemp here at home and around the world.”

NIHC’s 2021 Hemp Business Summitt has the most dynamic line up of speakers to address the U.S. domestic hemp industry. Besides represetnatives from USDA, FDA, and members of Congress, the speaking line up features some of the country’s most aforementioned experts in the hemp industry touching every part of the hemp value chain from growers, banking, capital investments, economics, academia, consumer safety and attorney’s who litigate on behalf of numerous hemp buisnesses.

“Since our first meeting, NIHC has grown in size and stature,” said Atagi. “We look forward to a successful meeting that further cements the NIHC as the leading organization advocating on behalf of industrial hemp.”

Our line up of speakers will touch every part of the plant in every part of the globe and we couldn’t be more pleased at the value-add this meeting will bring for not only our members but the entire hemp industry at large.” Atagi concluded.

Since its founding in 2019, NIHC events have remained the sole place where a bipartisan collection of FDA officials have made public comments. Additionally, NIHC is a new government cooperator through the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) meaning NIHC has the ability to bring industry together to lead trade missions overseas and promote the exports of American hemp. NIHC also has two board members who currently serve on Agriculture Technical Advisory Committees (ATAC) that advise the Secretary of Agriculture and the United States Trade Represetnative (USTR) on technical barriers to trade.

NIHC did not have a meeting in 2020 due to the global pandemic.