Dr Omid Ansari
TNQ Hatch 2022-23
1 Nov 2022
About
Dr Omid Ansari is an expert in genetics, plant breeding and agronomy and has held positions at the University of Sydney, University of Saskatchewan, North Dakota State University and Grains Research and Development Corporation. More recently, Omid was the Head of R&D at Ecofibre Ltd, where he helped build the company from an Australian start-up to its current position as a global leader in the hemp industry. He is the founder of HempGenTech Pty Ltd., an Australian-based company that specialises in hemp production, breeding, and agronomy.
The Idea
Given Omid’s extensive background in hemp production and agronomy, Omid held a deep passion for expanding the opportunities and scale of hemp production in TNQ and Australia nationally. Omid came into the Hatch program aiming to develop a business strategy and model for the development of new hemp varieties which suited farming systems and growing conditions in North Queensland. Omid had identified that there was ongoing decrease in the production area of traditional crops for the region, such as sugarcane and peanuts, and believed that industrial hemp could replace these crops or fit into farming systems as a rotational crop. The key problem that Omid was looking to address was the relative nascence of the hemp industry currently in Australia and, subsequently, the limited number of varieties which were being tested and bred for growers.
What's Next?
Omid is continuing to develop his HempGenTech business while relying on the existing consultancy services as a means of funding his broader ambition. His next steps to develop the hemp breeding business is to look for commercial and strategic partnerships with organizations which may assist with the research and development phase of his concept.
Program Partners
