Ukraine has announced plans to revive industrial hemp cultivation, with an estimated 8,000 hectares to be planted in 2025, according to Ihor Vishtak, Director of the Department of Agrarian Development at the Ministry of Agrarian Policy, citing expert assessments.
Vishtak explained,
“Hemp for industrial purposes is a traditional domestic agricultural crop that has practically fallen out of crop rotation for a long time. The cultivation of hemp for industrial purposes became possible after the adoption of the law on medical cannabis.”
The law on the state regulation of the circulation of plants of the hemp genus simplifies the process of growing industrial hemp by eliminating the need for licenses or quotas, making it essentially a regular agricultural crop, according to Vishtak.
“Industrial hemp also means many value-added products – food, light, pulp and paper, and other industries,” Vishtak added.
In Ukraine, the industrial hemp sector is supported by the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine’s two leading scientific institutions: the Institute of Bast Crops and the Institute of Agriculture of the North-East. Additionally, 11 private agricultural enterprises are engaged in growing hemp seed material.
The Ministry of Agrarian Policy also noted the environmental benefits of hemp cultivation. The crop contributes to soil aeration and helps cleanse soils of heavy metals such as zinc, copper, and lead.
Related:
- Ukrainian Parliament legalizes medical cannabis
- Medical cannabis bill passes first reading in Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada
- Ukraine and Slovakia to expedite removal of unilateral restrictions on Ukrainian agricultural products
- EU provisionally extend duty-free exports of Ukrainian agricultural products
- Ukraine ranks as third largest agricultural supplier to EU
