HempToday and Shah Hemp Inno-Ventures (SHIV) will launch HempToday India under a licensing arrangement, the companies have announced.
Nepal-based SHIV is a leading voice for industrial hemp in Asia. The company is active in hemp construction, health & beauty products, textiles and accessories, and offers a boutique of consulting services.
Aim to educate and unite
“The mission of our Indian edition of HempToday is to help unite the industry by sharing knowledge and knowhow, and working for transparency in the marketplace,” said Nivedita Bansal Shah, an Indian native and co-founder at SHIV. “We need better communication in the industry, especially to support small enterprises and startups.”
The first edition of HempToday India will be delivered by email Thursday, Nov. 8. While content will primarily be focused on Indian hemp. HT-India’s editorial team will also look into other nations on the subcontinent that have developing hemp industries, and import/export potential relevant to India.
Second national edition for HT
The Indian edition of HempToday is second national mutation after the launch of HempToday Japan, in the Japanese language, last April. “We’re obviously interested in Asia,” said Kehrt Reyher, HempToday Editor & Publisher. “India is reawakening to hemp, that’s clear. But there are a lot of things needed to develop strong hemp value chains. That all begins with reliable information and networking,” Reyher said.
“Almost since we started we’ve fielded a lot of calls from many parts of Asia. People are looking for solutions and help,” said Dhiraj K. Shah, SHIV’s CEO. “HempToday India will help us serve the information, education and business relationships those stakeholders need.”
SHIV also is partnering with HempToday on the inaugural Asian Hemp Summit to be held in Kathmandu Feb. 1-2, 2019. Hempoint, the vertically integrated Czech hemp firm, is a third partner.
Busy year for SHIV
SHIV is coming off a busy year in which it expanded across all business units and launched a consulting division, according to Shah, who founded the company with his wife primarily in response to housing needs after the 2014 earthquake that devastated the country.