By Carla Burgess

• Introduction
• Developing Markets: Greene Natural Fibers
• Advantages and Uses
• Limitations and Goals
• Kenaf Facts
• Download the full article as a

Limitations and Goals

At least for now, kenaf does have a few limitations. Because of its bulk, the raw product is expensive to ship. To earn a profit, the grower ideally needs to be within 30 to 40 miles of a processing facility. Also, a significant pest in kenaf crops is the nematode, a parasitic worm. Because crop rotation is an important method of controlling infestations, intensive cultivation in a single region could present challenges, says agronomist Jordan. Developing acceptable pesticides and creating nematode-resistant varieties are important research goals.

Kenaf ventures have failed in Texas, Mississippi and California, but Skillicorn says North Carolina farmers and entrepreneurs have learned from those experiences. He and Moye also acknowledge the insight gained from a grant given by the Golden Leaf Foundation in 2000 to the nonprofit Carolina Kenaf Farmers Foundation, of which Skillicorn was president. The grant allowed several North Carolina farmers to test the waters with minimal financial risk.

Fundamentally, that project demonstrated that kenaf is a viable crop in the region. The foundation also received a $300,000 start-up grant from the General Assembly administered through the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center.

Skillicorn says he is confident that kenaf is an indelible feature on North Carolina’s agricultural and economic map. The company’s harvest goal is to eventually reap an average of 5 tons of dry fiber per acre per year. Its ultimate goal is to become the world’s largest single-source supplier of processed kenaf.

“We are headed through a difficult time, as with any new business, in which we have to create and sustain the markets that we’ve addressed and also develop some new markets,” he says. “We will succeed in spades in that endeavor.”