SHALLOWATER, Texas – Panda Biotech, a Dallas-based company, has plans to open up a hemp processing facility in the city of Shallowater.

The company which hopes to open “Panda High Plains Hemp Gin” has already secured a 255,000 square foot building.

Company spokesperson Bill Pentack, said they picked the location because of the area’s rich farming land.

“We were very attracted to the high plains region of Texas to begin with and we like that Lubbock county and Shallowater because frankly it’s the heart of cotton country,” he said.

Royking Potter, mayor of Shallowater, said he’s in support of the company bringing more revenue to his city.

Pentack said wanted to make sure people knew that the planned facility is not about marijuana.

“We will be processing the hemp before it matures to the point where it produces the seeds and flowers that are used in CBD type products, he said. The hemp that we will be producing at this processing facility will be used only for industrial applications for manufacturing applications.”

Panda Biotech said industrial hemp fiber and cellulose can be used in a number of products such as building materials, textiles, paper products, automobile composites and even rechargeable phone batteries.

Pentack said the company thinks the cotton industry in the area will be a great partner for the hemp industry.

“When you take the strength of hemp and you combine it with the softness of cotton you probably wind up with the finest textile fabric in the world, ” he said.

Although Panda Biotech has made plans to open it’s facility, they will have to wait for the United States Department of Agriculture to make a final approval because it is is currently illegal to grow hemp in Texas.