Hemp Facility Is “Single Largest Investment Ever” for Arizona Town

A $25 million hemp facility was proposed to the Parker Town Council. Parker, a small town 40 miles south of Lake Havasu City on the border of Arizona and California, could see nearly 100 new jobs with annual salaries averaging $65,000 if the cannabis facility gets approval by the council, said Skip Becker of the La Paz Economic Development Corporation.

Calyxar Group is attempting to build the state-of-the-art hemp production facility to supply large cosmetics and pharmaceutical companies with processed hemp, Parker Pioneer reported.

“This is the single largest investment ever in the Town of Parker,” said Becker.

Calyxar’s proposed facility, which already received approval from the Arizona Department of Agriculture, estimates it will be capable of processing 9,000 pounds of hemp daily, when at full capacity.

In the first three years, it is projected that Calyxar will generate $3 million in tax revenue for the state.

“This will be a sophisticated facility for a sophisticated client,” Calyxar said.

Arizona is one of the largest medical marijuana markets in the US, and is also one of the largest hemp cultivators in the US. The demand for hemp has increased over 700% in recent years, and Arizona is expected to become a leading hemp-growing state due to its vast amount of available farmland and sunshine.

Hemp will bring many new jobs to Arizona. So would legalizing adult-use marijuana, which will be on the ballots in 2020.

Photo: David Crigger Bristol Herald Courier via AP