In the past, hemp was a globally widespread plant for fiber production and was almost completely displaced by cotton and later by synthetic fibers in the last century.
Finally, if hemp has more or less disappeared from the markets during the 20th century, it is mainly due to anti-hemp lobbying: because hemp generated the interests of the wood, oil and cotton industry in the south of the USA. It has now been realized that among textile applications, hemp is a very comfortable fiber, breathable, resistant, and sustainable, that you can wear in any season.
On June 12, 2024, Panda Biotech, together with its equity partner, the Southern Ute Indian Tribe, commenced operation at its new large-scale industrial hemp processing facility in Wichita Falls, TX/USA. At 500,000 square feet, the Panda Hemp Gin facility is strategically located in Wichita Falls, set to emerge as a hub for domestic industrial hemp decortication. The event saw speeches from Ron Kitchens, the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce CEO, Panda Biotech President Dixie Carter, and several other high-profile individuals.
Dixie Carter, President of Panda Biotech, opened the ceremony noting Chairman and CEO Robert W. Carter’s astounding vision to build a large-scale, top-tier processing facility in the USA for domestic industrial hemp decortication. Bob Carter’s signature “no excuses” leadership style inspired the Panda Biotech team to persevere through several challenges including a global pandemic to arrive at this day.
Boasting a processing capacity of 10 tons of hemp fiber per hour, the Panda Hemp Gin stands as the biggest industrial hemp processing facility in the western hemisphere and ranks 2nd worldwide.
Panda Biotech LLC, Dallas, TX/USA, positions itself as a pioneer in the swiftly growing US industrial hemp fiber industry. Holding a solid track record in developing and operating large-scale infrastructure facilities in the clean energy sector, the company has approximately US$12 billion in invested capital across 22 projects. The new facility in Wichita Falls, in partnership with Aka-Ag, marks a significant stride in its ongoing ventures in the industrial hemp gin industry.
Hemp makes a comeback as textile fiber
