22nd EIHA Conference, Berlin 2025

Agenda

2025 Conference Schedule Overview

Join us for the 22nd Annual European Industrial Hemp Association Conference, a dynamic two-day event bringing together industry leaders, researchers, policymakers and experts to explore the latest advancements and opportunities in the hemp sector. From innovative technologies to regulatory insights, this conference promises engaging discussions, networking opportunities, and actionable strategies to drive the future of industrial hemp across Europe and beyond.

Day 01
Day 02
Day 03

Day 01 - 11 June 2025

14:00-14:30

Registration and Welcome Coffee (open for EIHA Members Only)

14:30-16:00

EIHA General Meeting (open for EIHA Members Only)

16:00-16:30

Networking Break

16:00-18:00

EIHA General Meeting (open for EIHA Members Only)

18:00-20.00

Networking Cocktails (open for EIHA Members Only)

Day 02 - 12 June 2025

08.30-09.00

Registration and welcome coffee

09.00-9.15

Welcome and Introductions

09:15-10.30

Germany: a new regulatory approach

Moderator
cath

Lorenza Romanese

Lorenza is the Managing Director of EIHA. Based in EIHA’s Brussels office, Lorenza is an experienced policy advisor and communication manager at the European level. She has led EIHA’s efforts in Brussels since February 2019, having worked with a number of MEPs to propose reforms affecting hemp in the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy. Lorenza previously advised interests in the oil and gas sector and led the European Association of independent Winegrowers.

Lorenza helped to put together in November 2019 a Consortium of companies in EIHA conducting CBD and THC toxicological studies in humans and animals. She is currently overseeing parts of the regulatory process and scientific approach.

Lorenza was appointed in March 2022 as co-chair of the policy and regulation committee of FIHO (Federation of International Hemp Organizations), a global association that identifies and creates opportunities to scale sustainable hemp production, marketing, and trade.

Speakers
Marijn Roersch Van der Hooghte

Marijn Roersch van der Hoogte

Marijn Roersch van der Hoogte, Biologist from the Netherlands. Living in Berlin for more that 10 years. Active in the German Cannabis Industry since 2014, with primary focus on food and building materials. Working as a Consultant and Broker for Agriculture and Processing, Co-Founder of Hemp-Impact.com, Co-Founder and Vice-President of the German Hemp Business Association BvCW where he coordinates all Industrial Hemp related topics.

Daniel Kruse

Daniel Kruse

Founder:
Hempro International GmbH, Hemp Factory GmbH,
MH medical hemp GmbH, Hanf Farm GmbH,
HempConsult GmbH

President, European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA)

Vice-Chair, Federation of International Hemp Organizations

(FIHO)Daniel Kruse, a pioneer of the hemp and cannabis industry since 1995, is CEO of SYNBIOTIC SE and founder of Hempro International GmbH, Hemp Factory GmbH, MH medical hemp GmbH, Hanf Farm GmbH and HempConsult GmbH, five of Europe`s leading hemp and cannabis companies.

Since 2013, Kruse has served as a Board Member of the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA) and since 2019 he is elected President. Kruse is also Vice-Chair of the newly established Federation of International Hemp Organizations (FIHO). At the EIHA Kruse is particularly active in his field of knowledge of cannabinoids in foods. Already since 2002 he has been working on the topic of THC in food and on CBD since 2012. His cooperation with international experts and the advisory committee of EIHA combines the profound know-how from practice and science in the hemp and food industry.

In course of this cooperation, various position papers and studies on THC and CBD in food have been drawn up and published. Kruse started his career in the industrial hemp industry to realize his vision: the successful combination of ecology and economy.

10.30-11.00

Networking Break

11.00-12.30

Breeding and Farming

Moderator

Francesco Mirizzi

Currently responsible for agriculture, bioeconomy and environmental policies at the European Industrial Hemp Association, Francesco has a 10 years long experience in working with agrofood policies in Brussels. After 2 years in the liaison office of Puglia region to the EU, he joined the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission for a bluebook traineeship. After two years working for Pernod Ricard SA on health, trade and agricultural policies affecting the spirits and wine sector, he gained a more horizontal and extensive experience within the European Federation of Farmers and Farming Cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca), where he was responsible for the olive & olive oil, flax, cotton, hemp, spirits, wine and hops sectors.

Speakers
Jason Argyris

Dr. Jason Argyris

Jason Argyris is project director in the Genomics and Biotechnology group and cannabis breeding program co-lead at the Institute of Agrifood Research and Technology (IRTA) in Barcelona, Spain. He is based at the Center for Research in Agricultural Genomics (CRAG) where since 2019, he has conducted research focused on the development of modern genetic tools and resources for the improvement of cannabis. Jason completed his PhD in Plant Biology at the University of California, Davis (2008). As a plant breeder, he has applied molecular breeding techniques and tools for crop improvement in fruit and vegetable species for over 20 years in both the public and private sectors. He has published 22 peer-reviewed research articles and two patents.

Aftseen Malik

Dr. Afsheen Malik

Dr Afsheen Malik is an early career researcher and is currently working as a research assistant in the Flower Power group headed by Dr Rainer Melzer at the University College Dublin, Ireland, where Dr Malik is presently engaged in deciphering the sex determination mechanisms in hemp using genetics and molecular biology techniques. Dr Malik earned her PhD from the National University of Sciences and Technology, Pakistan. During her PhD, she won a fellowship from the Higher Education Commission of Pakistan and visited the Max Planck Institute for Biology, Tübingen, Germany, where she learned about genome editing technology (CRISPR-Cas9). Her PhD dissertation mainly focuses on developing an efficient system for hybrid seed generation using genome editing technology. Besides research, she has contributed to the academic community as an editorial board member for the Applications in Plant Sciences Journal, published by the Botanical Society of America. Currently, she is also serving as a scientific committee member at EIHA.

David Gang

Prof. David Gang

David R. Gang, PhD, is a Professor in the Institute of Biological Chemistry at Washington State University, as well as the Director of WSU’s Center for Cannabis Policy, Research and Outreach. He has served as the President of the Phytochemical Society of North America as well as on the executive boards of other international scientific societies, including currently Groupe Polyphenols.
Dr. Gang is a well-known world expert on medicinal compound identification and production within plants, particularly of plants from the mint and ginger families and from ancient plants, although he spends a lot of his time now working with Cannabis sativa and marine microbes for their bioactive and industrial activities. His research uses modern approaches (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, etc.) to investigate the structure, organization and regulation of metabolism within plants and other organisms (including some important insect pests and marine microbes). He also spends a lot of effort now related to policy issues surrounding hemp and high-THC cannabis.
Dr. Gang is dedicated to improving the human condition on this planet by increasing food and medicine availability and nutritional quality while reducing costs of production by better understanding how plants make the important bioactive compounds that they do and using that knowledge to improve plant properties, as well as by better understanding how plants interact with the environment.

Marko Flajsman

Dr. Marko Flajšman

Dr. Marko Flajšman is an Assistant Professor of crop production at Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, where he is engaged in research into the cultivation of various crops such as soybeans, maize, wheat and potatoes. He is particularly interested in research on cannabis, both industrial and medical, especially breeding, and other research. He is the co-breeder of 4 already certified varieties of medicinal cannabis. In his work with medical cannabis, he comes across breeding techniques that lead to the production of feminised seeds, which was recently published in a top-tier journal (https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2021.718092), and conducts other important studies on medical cannabis, the results of which were also recently published in a top-tier journal (https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2022.786161). He has also been involved in molecular biology studies, e.g. sex determination of cannabis plants, genotyping and genetic characterization. He worked on high-throughput sequencing of cannabis as part of the research programme led by Prof. Dr. Jernej Jakše from Biotechnical faculty. Dr. Flajšman is also a breeder of the first and so far only officially certified Slovenian variety of industrial hemp called Fiona. In 2024, he led the project called “Introduction of new Slovenian varieties into industrial hemp production in Slovenia”. The main objective of the project was to expand the use of the Slovenian industrial hemp variety Fiona to real production in Slovenia and to test two new Slovenian varieties in production, which are in the process of official testing and are expected to be included in the European list of varieties in 2025.

Hana Gabrielovà

CEO of Hempoint & President of Czechemp 

Hana Gabrielová is a 20-year veteran within the hemp industry. In 2010 she establish her company Hempoint s.r.o. which is heavily engaged in distribution of EU registered hemp seed varieties internationally, in North America represented by USA company konopiUS. Hempoint provides consulting on all steps of the hemp value chain from farming, processing till the end of different kinds of products. Hempoint help contracts farmers and also distributes organic hemp food and feed ingredients. Hana works also as president of the CzecHemp cluster since 2018, NGO involved in the strategy of hemp and cannabis policy development in the Czech Republic. In 2020 she co-founded Hemp the Climate, pioneering non-profit organization and think tank that provides strategic advice to businesses and collaborates with multilateral and non-governmental organizations to accelerate the use of hemp for climate resilience.

12.30-14.00

Networking lunch

14.00-15.00

Fibres and Textiles

Moderator

Francesco Mirizzi

Currently responsible for agriculture, bioeconomy and environmental policies at the European Industrial Hemp Association, Francesco has a 10 years long experience in working with agrofood policies in Brussels. After 2 years in the liaison office of Puglia region to the EU, he joined the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission for a bluebook traineeship. After two years working for Pernod Ricard SA on health, trade and agricultural policies affecting the spirits and wine sector, he gained a more horizontal and extensive experience within the European Federation of Farmers and Farming Cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca), where he was responsible for the olive & olive oil, flax, cotton, hemp, spirits, wine and hops sectors.

Speakers
Bodil Engberg Pallesen

Bodil Engberg Pallesen

Bodil Engberg Pallesen, Senior Specialist at DTI, Dept. for Bio-Resources. BDP is an experienced professional in the fields of innovations and business development, bio-economy and use of bio-resources, in particular specialist in natural fibers as hemp, straw, eelgrass, industrial waste materials etc. and combined with non-woven technology. She has been pioneer introducing natural fibers in a novel non-woven technology, converting fibers into non-woven mats and composites for furniture, building, horticulture and textile industry. Lately she is head of development of a new value chain for long fiber hemp for textiles. Since 2020 Bodil has been in project manager of Hemp4Tex, supported by Innovation Fund Denmark.

Jao Mariz

João Mariz

Researcher at CITEVE – Textile Research Center of Portugal, specializing in the study of natural alternative fibers, with a particular focus on hemp and linen. Over the past few years, as part of the be@t project, I have been investigating various industrial hemp varieties, optimizing extraction processes, and developing new bioprocess, as well as laboratory equipment, dedicated for long hemp fibres. My work has contributed to advancing the hemp value chain in Portugal, with a comprehensive approach to hemp valorization. I am currently pursuing a PhD in Chemical and Biological Engineering, where my research is focused on improving retting procedures and enhancing the valorization of hemp fibers.

Kira Hien

Kira Hien

I made my Bachelor of Engineering at Reutlingen University in „Textile Technology and Management“ in 2015. Finished my Master of Science at Niederrhein University of Applied Science in „Management of Textile Trade and Technology“ focusing on Technology in 2017. And I work at ITA Institut für Textiltechnik of RWTH Aachen University since 2020 in the spinning department with the intention to promote a doctorate.

Saddam-Hussain

Saddam Hussain

Dr. Saddam Hussain, a distinguished agronomist and Associate Professor at the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF), is a globally acclaimed leader in agricultural innovation, climate resilience, and sustainable development. With a Ph.D. in Plant Stress Physiology from Huazhong Agricultural University, China, and over ten years of transformative contributions to academia, industry, and policy, his work bridges cutting-edge research with socioeconomic impact, directly advancing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. As Dean of the Confucius Institute, Head of Crop Stress Physiology Lab, Lead of Pakistan’s Industrial Hemp Research Program, and Incharge of the Biopolymer Research and Production Center, Dr. Hussain exemplifies interdisciplinary leadership, driving Pakistan’s agricultural sector toward sustainability and global competitiveness.

Dr. Hussain has authored over 220 high-impact publications (h-index: 76, citations >21,600), earning distinctions such as Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researcher (2021–2023), the 2023 PAS Gold Medal (Salimuzzaman Siddiqui Prize), and the Top 100 Global Influential Researcher Award (2024). He holds key international positions such as Research Fellow at INTI International University (Malaysia), Director of the Silkroad Biohealth Agricultural Industry Alliance (China), Research Advisor at Nanyang Academy of Sciences (Singapore), and Distinguished Professor at Princess Nourah University (Saudi Arabia).

Dr. Hussain is the founding member of the Asia International Hemp Federation (AIHF) and Director of the Industrial & Medical Hemp Foundation (IMHF)-Pakistan. He has pioneered Pakistan’s industrial hemp sector, establishing non-toxic value chains for fiber, food, feed and construction while optimizing agronomy and Indigenous processing technologies. His efforts have widely been covered in national & international media.

He has secured $3.25 million in national/international grants, fostering collaborations between academia and industries, and serves on the editorial boards of 10+ SCI journals. Committed to community impact, Dr. Hussain bridges scientific innovation with practical farming solutions, driving economic and environmental progress in Pakistan and beyond.

15.00-16.00

Networking Break

16.00-17.30

Construction

Moderator

Steve Allin

Working with hemp materials in construction projects since 1997, Steve Allin has gained invaluable knowledge about which materials to use, where, and how. He is always happy to answer questions and discuss projects.

Steve Allin has enthusiastically pioneered the use of hemp in building in Ireland and internationally since 1997 and is the author of the pre-eminent book “Building with Hemp” (2005) 2nd Edition (2012). His latest book is “Hemp Buildings: 50 International Case Studies” (2021).

In his activities connected to actually using the materials, he has experimented with many different combinations of ingredients to create a binder for hempcrete and has consulted with different projects all over the world. As a hemp building consultant, he has advised on projects in Belgium, Canada, Haiti, Ireland, Nepal, South Africa, Switzerland, the UK, and the United States. He has run many successful Hemp building courses in Australia, Canada, Finland, Ireland, Sweden, and the United States. He continues to act as an advisor for projects wishing to establish hemp processing facilities for hemp construction products.

He is currently the director of the International Hemp Building Association IHBA which was formed in November 2009 after a successful 1st International Hemp Building Symposium organized earlier that year in Ireland. In his role as director of the IHBA, Steve has given presentations in the Czech Republic, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, Spain, Sweden, and the United States.

Speakers
Axel Segers

Axel Segers

My name is Axel Segers, CEO of Exie, a Belgian company active in the full hemp value chain –  ‘ from field to building’. I hold a degree from Wageningen University and research and  been with Exie for nearly 5 years.

Our main focus is the production of CaNaDry, a dry, pre-mixed form of hempcrete for sustainable construction. Thanks to our integrated approach, we also sell hemp fibres to different industries.

Jean Lotus

Jean Lotus

Jean Lotus is an award-winning international business journalist and the publisher of the online international hemp-building trade journal www.hempbuildmag.com and the yearly Hemp Building Directory: International guide to the hemp building Industry. Lotus is an adviser in the state of Colorado’s Colorado Hemp Advancement and Management Plan, which creates deliverables for the state’s industrial hemp program.

Gaurav Dixit

Gaurav Dixit

Gaurav Dixit is an architect-turned-entrepreneur pioneering hemp-based construction in India. As the Co-founder & Director of Gohemp Agroventures, he is building India’s most robust hemp supply chain while developing sustainable, affordable housing solutions. With a vision to create 1,000 hemp buildings by 2030, Gaurav is empowering women in hemp cultivation, processing, and product development through his women-led startup.

Recognized for his contributions to sustainable innovation, he was awarded by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has represented India at global platforms. He has also won prestigious awards, including the Asian Hemp Summit (2020) and the Global Housing Technology Challenge (2021).

A Visiting Faculty at the School of Planning & Architecture, New Delhi, Gaurav introduced India’s first course on Building with Hemp. Currently, he is refining his innovations at IIT Roorkee, furthering India’s leadership in industrial hemp.

19:30-22:00

Party at the Pub - Irish Pub in the Europa Center

Day 03 - 13 June 2025

8.30-09.00

Registration and welcome coffee

9.00-9.15

Welcome and Introduction

cath

Lorenza Romanese

Lorenza is the Managing Director of EIHA. Based in EIHA’s Brussels office, Lorenza is an experienced policy advisor and communication manager at the European level. She has led EIHA’s efforts in Brussels since February 2019, having worked with a number of MEPs to propose reforms affecting hemp in the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy. Lorenza previously advised interests in the oil and gas sector and led the European Association of independent Winegrowers.

Lorenza helped to put together in November 2019 a Consortium of companies in EIHA conducting CBD and THC toxicological studies in humans and animals. She is currently overseeing parts of the regulatory process and scientific approach.

Lorenza was appointed in March 2022 as co-chair of the policy and regulation committee of FIHO (Federation of International Hemp Organizations), a global association that identifies and creates opportunities to scale sustainable hemp production, marketing, and trade.

9.15-10.15

CBD

Moderator
cath

Lorenza Romanese

Lorenza is the Managing Director of EIHA. Based in EIHA’s Brussels office, Lorenza is an experienced policy advisor and communication manager at the European level. She has led EIHA’s efforts in Brussels since February 2019, having worked with a number of MEPs to propose reforms affecting hemp in the EU’s Common Agriculture Policy. Lorenza previously advised interests in the oil and gas sector and led the European Association of independent Winegrowers.

Lorenza helped to put together in November 2019 a Consortium of companies in EIHA conducting CBD and THC toxicological studies in humans and animals. She is currently overseeing parts of the regulatory process and scientific approach.

Lorenza was appointed in March 2022 as co-chair of the policy and regulation committee of FIHO (Federation of International Hemp Organizations), a global association that identifies and creates opportunities to scale sustainable hemp production, marketing, and trade.

Speakers

10.15-11.15

Networking Break

11.15-12.30

Building the Value Chain

Moderator

Francesco Mirizzi

Currently responsible for agriculture, bioeconomy and environmental policies at the European Industrial Hemp Association, Francesco has a 10 years long experience in working with agrofood policies in Brussels. After 2 years in the liaison office of Puglia region to the EU, he joined the Directorate General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission for a bluebook traineeship. After two years working for Pernod Ricard SA on health, trade and agricultural policies affecting the spirits and wine sector, he gained a more horizontal and extensive experience within the European Federation of Farmers and Farming Cooperatives (Copa-Cogeca), where he was responsible for the olive & olive oil, flax, cotton, hemp, spirits, wine and hops sectors.

Speakers
Andriy Mykytiv

Andriy Mykytiv

Andriy Mykytiv is the CEO and Founder of Ma’Rijany Hemp Company (Ukraine). The Company is engaged in cultivation and primary processing of industrial hemp into long textile fiber. Also, Mr. Mykytiv is Deputy CEO & co-owner of the leading Ukrainian nonwovens manufacturer –K.Tex LLC.

Before investing in the manufacturing business, Andriy played a central operational role in delivering UEAFA EURO-2012 and FIBA Eurobasket 2015 (cancelled in the 2 nd year due to war) in Ukraine.

In his early career Andriy worked as management consultant at KPMG and own business advisory firm Strategy Foresight.

With over 20 years of experience in business advisory, manufacturing & mass event operations and project management, Andriy leads strategy development and its implementation in his current businesses.

Mr. Mykytiv received graduate education in International Trade and International Economics from Monterey Institute of International Studies (USA) and Kiel Institute for the World Economy (Germany).

Phivo Artemides

Phivo Artemides

From 2019 to 2020, Phivo authored a master’s paper on The Viability of Industrial Hemp to Develop Energy-Efficient Materials While Addressing Agro-Rural Socio-Economic Activities in the Eastern Cape, contributing key research on sustainable materials and rural economic resilience. Between 2020 and 2021, he played a pivotal role in regional policy development in Gauteng, collaborated with African Cannabis Advisory, and contributed to Hemp for Africa in New Frontier Data, focusing on Africa’s emerging hemp economy.

From 2021 to 2023, Phivo led the development of South Africa’s first accredited Higher Certificate in Cannabis and Hemp (NQF Level 4 in Plant Production). As a lecturer at Cheeba Cannabis and Hemp Academy, he trained over 500 people, government officials, and industry professionals. His work also included developing and lecturing courses at the Gordon Institute of Business Science on industrial hemp and leading hempcrete construction training programs.

In 2021, he founded HempoSapiens, working with small-scale farmers across the country. In 2023, we developed a pioneering initiative working with over 500 small-scale farmers in Mpumalanga to build a localized hemp-for-food value chain. His efforts extend across Mpumalanga, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape, where he focuses on value-added hemp commodity development for market integration.

In 2024, Phivo was invited to speak at the KwaZulu-Natal Hemp Indaba, South Africa’s first national hemp conference, where he presented on the role of hemp in regenerative agriculture, local economies, and value chain development.

Currently, Phivo is collaborating with Abundant Village and key stakeholders to develop low-tech, localised hemp-based products for sustainable development. He also contributes to global dialogues on sustainable finance through the Geneva Rethinking Finance Convention, advocating for bioregional economic models.

Through this work, there is a major need to move the industrial hemp sector forward, integrating regenerative agriculture, local and national economic empowerment, and innovation.

12.30-14.00

Networking lunch

14.00-15.30

International Session

Moderator
Morris Beegle

Morris Beegle

Morris Beegle is the President of We Are For Better Alternatives (WAFBA), a company focused on education, advocacy, and business development in the hemp industry. A seasoned entrepreneur and industry leader, he engages global audiences through live events, podcasts, webinars, and media platforms.

Under the WAFBA umbrella, Beegle organizes leading hemp-focused events, including the NoCo Hemp Expo and the EIHA Conference, and fosters global collaboration through the Experience Hemp International platform. He also publishes Let’s Talk Hemp and oversees several hemp-based product brands, such as Silver Mountain Hemp Guitars, Tree Free Hemp Paper and Printing, and One Planet Hemp, a merchandise line featuring apparel, posters, and accessories.

Beyond business, Beegle has been a vocal advocate for domestic and international hemp policy reform, working to advance legislation, sustainable practices, and global trade development. His efforts support the expansion of the hemp industry worldwide, bridging markets, promoting innovation, and driving regulatory progress.

Speakers
Charles Kovess

Charles Kovess

Charles Kovess practised tax law for 20 years, then changed career in 1993 to become Australasia’s Passion Provocateur. For the past 31 years he has been a professional speaker, facilitator, coach and author, helping and provoking small and large organisations to unleash passion to achieve world-class innovative results, to develop better leaders, to think differently, and to create teams that succeed.

Charles has owned a small organic farm for 49 years and was “seduced” into the hemp industry because of its potential to benefit family-owned farms and to rejuvenate agriculture in many ways.

For the past 13 years, as Managing Director of Textile & Composite Industries, he has led the commercialization of the late Adrian Clarke’s innovative industrial hemp processing machine, the D8 Decorticator, that eliminates the need for retting. Retting is one of the blockages to the rapid expansion of industrial hemp globally and locally.

Charles was elected President of the Australian Industrial Hemp Alliance in November 2023, after serving five years as Secretary of that Alliance. Charles is a member of the Executive Board of the Federation of International Hemp Organisations, the peak global body for industrial hemp founded in 2021.

Charles has written two books, Passionate People Produce and Passionate Performance, he is the President of the Australia-Hungary Chamber of Commerce & Industry, the Chairman of the Australian Institute of Comedy, and a Board Member of the Kids Foundation Ltd, an innovative children’s educational charity. He is the father of 5 children, aged from 44 down to 14 years of age.

David Suchoff

David Suchoff

Dr. David Suchoff is an Assistant Professor and Alternative Crops Extension Specialist in the Department of Crop and Soil Sciences at North Carolina State University. He runs an applied field research and extension program focused on new and emerging crops. Dr. Suchoff also serves as director of the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research Hemp Research Consortium, a public-private partnership seeking to address challenges faced by the US hemp industry through collaborative, cross-cutting research.

Felix Drewes

Felix Dewes

Felix Drewes is a sustainability specialist and advocate for regenerative agriculture and hemp-based construction. He co-founded the Hanfbaukollektiv in 2018 and currently leads construction initiatives at the Nutzhanf Netzwerk e.V., where he also serves as Vice President. As project lead at Klimapraxis gUG, collaborator at Hanfingenieur, and PhD researcher at Hochschule Merseburg, he focuses on regional value chains, carbon-negative materials from hemp and the transformation of rural economies through bioeconomy strategies. His research is embedded in the “Nachwuchsforschungsgruppe BioRohstoffe – Wertschöpfung durch Hanf,” Germany’s first interdisciplinary research group dedicated to industrial hemp, exploring the topic across agriculture, materials science, regional development and acceptance research.

With a background in climate change adaptation (MSc, Centre for Alternative Technology / University of East London) and a thesis on sustainable earthquake resilience in Nepal, Drewes combines strategic consultancy, fieldwork, and public engagement. His mission: advancing circular, bio-based construction through collaboration, decentralization, and innovation.

Zafar Riaz

Zafar Riaz

Dr. Zafar Riaz is a distinguished biologist, visionary leader, and dynamic entrepreneur with over three decades of cross-industry experience. He holds a Ph.D. in Agro-Biological Sciences from the University of Newcastle, UK, specializing in genetics and pathogenesis. Dr. Riaz’s expertise spans molecular biology, the pharmaceutical industry, and QA-QC.
He has collaborated with international organizations in Pakistan and abroad, fostering strategic networks to drive sustainability and innovation in agriculture, with a focus on industrial hemp. Dr. Riaz has significantly contributed to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), engaging with global regulators like the FDA, Health Canada, USDA, and the European Commission.
As the co-founder and CEO of Atlantic Feeds (Pvt.) Ltd., he established a leading poultry and livestock feed production facility in Pakistan. Recognizing the potential of the industrial hemp market, Dr. Riaz founded Katas Hempstead Agro Farms (Pvt.) Ltd., aiming to position Pakistan as a global leader in hemp cultivation. The company collaborates with the University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, and participates in international forums such as the AsiaHemp Expo and the European Industrial Hemp Association (EIHA).
Dr. Riaz’s leadership continues to drive innovation and sustainability in agriculture, reinforcing Pakistan’s position in the global industrial hemp market.

15:30-16.00

Conclusions and Closing

16:30-18:30

FIHO Annual General Meeting