By Carla Burgess
- Introduction
- Developing Markets: Greene Natural Fibers
- Advantages and Uses
- Limitations and Goals
- Kenaf Facts
- Download the full article
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If you drive through certain parts of eastern North Carolina this summer and fall, you’re likely to see an unfamiliar sight growing on roadside farms—a dense, towering crop that may reach 12 feet before the first frost. Greater than its stature in the field is the amazing market potential and versatility of this new North Carolina crop. It’s called kenaf (pronounced kuh-NAFF), a fiber crop that may one day outpace tobacco and cotton in North Carolina’s agricultural economy.
A group of farmers concentrated in Greene, Pitt and a few neighboring counties is growing kenaf, Hibiscus cannabinus L, which is closely related to okra, cotton and hollyhocks. Kenaf is cultivated worldwide as a fiber crop, with the vast majority grown in China as a substitute for jute. Those who’ve heard of the plant might recognize it as an alternative source of pulp for paper, much like hemp. But kenaf’s uses are surprisingly broad. The stem’s soft, inner fiber is incredibly absorbent and lightweight and has diverse applications in lumber, automotive parts, animal litter and bedding, and wastewater treatment, to name a few.
“They say kenaf is the crop with a thousand uses but no market,” says North Carolina State University Extension agronomist David Jordan.
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