Asia International Hemp Expo and Forum 2025:Overview & Final Thoughts

After two days of attending talks, I spent the last day of the Asia International Hemp Expo & Forum 2025 wandering the exhibit floor and admiring the wide variety of booths. This is when I was fully able to immerse myself in the culture of this forum, while mingling with some of the other attendees. It was especially satisfying to see the same industries mentioned on stage being present at the event, including hemp textiles, industrial machinery, and genetics. By the end, I started to cumulate my thoughts from the expo floor as well as the talks, and started critically examining the impact of this event on the future of Thailand’s cannabis industry.

By Ayush Madan

THE FLOOR

As Jordan Herring aptly pointed out in the talk Cannabinoids & Flowers – Unlocking Their Uses and Benefits, “it all starts with genetics.” Mr. Herring’s brand Hidden Valley Co., Ltd. (hiddenvalleygeneticsth.com) was front and center as I walked into the hall, with their selection of buds and seeds displayed in magnified glass jars. Other legendary American genetics brands like Soma’s Seeds (somaseeds.nl) — led by a man who has been cultivating cannabis for 51 years — were also in attendance.

Of course, you could have the best seeds in the world, and still not produce a balanced, terpene-rich flower. So much of the growing process rests on cultivation technology, which had a large turnout at the expo. Californian brands like Growers Republic (growers-republic.com) are leading the charge with their indoor and greenhouse LED grow lights, while global brand TrolMaster (www.trolmaster.com/Home/Index) provides farms with environment controllers for CO2, irrigation, and temperature.

In fact, farms in Thailand are already implementing this cutting-edge technology into their growing process. One of the farms at the expo, Tenrain (www.tenrain.co.th), is a pioneer in cultivation and research and an EU-certified organic farm in Saraburi province. In collaboration with the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine, this hemp research center has become a hub for herbal medicine education. The farms main products are cannabis buds and high-quality CBD oil.

But how can a farm extract CBD from cannabis flower? This is where Chinese industrial companies like Zhengzhou Keda Machinery (ZZKD) (www.kdinstrument.com) come in. Based in Henan, China, they specialize in biology pharmacy equipment. Their booth looked more like a mini research station than a commercial stall. One of their key products is the rotary evaporator, which uses a vacuum, heating, and rotation to extract CBD oil from the hemp plant. Additionally, the company also offers distillation kits, steel reactors, and vacuum drying ovens.

On the other side of the hall, away from the lights and reactors, were the hemp products. My favorite booth in this section belonged to  KaHemp (www.kahemp.com), a hemp clothing brand which plants, weaves, dyes, and embroiders all of their hemp products. From pillowcases, to shirts, to overcoats, these are durable, sustainable, and environmentally friendly — requiring less water to make than cotton. Moreover, as Mr. Dennis Fox mentioned in the talk “From Legacy to Legal…” the distinct threading of the hemp fibers makes it very comfortable to wear, and its moisture wicking property makes it perfect for a hot country like Thailand. 

Interestingly, there was also a Thai Massage demonstration by the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative medicine where visitors could simply sign up for a free ten minute massage. My masseuse was clearly a veteran in his field, ironing out any knots in my neck with precise strokes of his fingers. After the massage, they also gave me a free massage stick to go home with, in case I want to treat myself for any  further pains or sprains.

THE CLOUDS

Outside the hall was where you could see the largest gathering — the smoking area. This was perhaps the first conference I have been to where I saw an attendee — dab rig in hand, coffee in the other —nonchalantly walk up to the reception to claim his wristband. The atmosphere outside the convention center reminded me a bit of the Highland festival earlier this year. People brought joints, bongs, dab rigs, and I even saw someone with a full gas canister. After making a new friend, partaking in some greens, and soaking in the culture, I set off into the park for a nice brisk walk back to my desk.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall, I believe this international forum is a must-visit for canna-preneurs and professionals across the cannabis and hemp ecosystem. It offers a rare bird’s-eye view of the industry in all its subtypes — from hemp apparel and to CBD extractors, and legacy cannabis genetics. Walking the floor really showed me how interconnected these sectors are, and how much innovation is happening in places we don’t always talk about.

And yet, attending this event also made something else clear: many in the Thai cannabis industry are still holding their breath. Farms with GACP certification and export deals to countries like Germany are pushing forward with long-term expansion, while local dispensaries and small operators are in a state of watchful limbo, waiting to see what the 2026 regulations will bring.

Hearing from US industry veterans was valuable — especially on branding, responsible marketing, and long-term consumer trust. Insights from Mr. Ricardo Baca, in particular, felt relevant to Thailand’s young market. But for other topics, like equity licensing, criminal justice reform, and “giving the plant back to the people,” the parallels don’t translate neatly to Thailand. Cannabis may have originated in Asia, but much of the region still views it as a dangerous narcotic, and our sociopolitical machinery moves very differently from Colorado or California.

Even the panelists acknowledged this gap. The US can serve as a reference, but not a roadmap.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Anutin and his government have yet to signal any concrete direction for cannabis — no reassurance for businesses, no clarity for farmers, just silence. In that silence, the industry is trying to stay hopeful and adaptable. The forum captured that contrast beautifully: innovation everywhere, ambition everywhere, but an entire sector still bracing itself for the next announcement.

AIHEF / hemp industry / expo insights