How municipal officials contribute to the development of the most profitable hemp sector

Taking into account the interest of Ukrainian agricultural producers in the possibility of growing technical therapeutic cannabis varieties on small plots, Edgar Babanov, President of the Baltic Association of Bast Crop Producers and Processors of Bast Crops, was invited to the round table "Nutrition and Hemp" held on April 9-10. Our colleague will make a presentation ”Lithuanian experience of highly profitable use of small areas of technical hemp for the production of raw materials required in the food and cosmetic market, as well as used in the pharmacological field”.

The pages of the specialized electronic publication of Ukrainian growers ( tku.org.ua ) described the experience of conducting the “ Interregional exchange of experience in the field of industrial hemp breeding ” within the framework of Hemp University . However, the way municipal officials of the Canadian province of Quebec contribute to the development of the industry in their administrative-territorial units makes it necessary to carefully study this experience and “take it into service”.

The municipality of Desbiens (Desbiens, Quebec) held the first regional cannabis forum in the city hall. Hundreds of people listened, shared experiences and shared knowledge about various areas of hemp breeding - the modern agricultural sector, the amount of reliable information about which is extremely limited. Preparations for this kind of event took about two years, from the time when the mayor of the city, Nicolas Martel, expressed his willingness to hold an international symposium on issues related to the development of the region based on industrial facilities aimed at processing raw materials produced during modern hemp production. Despite the fact that the event had “provincial coverage”, a number of guests from other countries and regions of Canada were present.

For example, during their speeches, French cannabis shared their experience in using cannabis raw materials for the production of various kinds of modern materials, including cellulose, various building products, biocomposites, etc. In particular, the President of the National Federation of Cannabis Producers of France (Federation nationale des producteurs de chanvre en France) Stephen Bordeux (Stephane Borderieux) noted that in the territory of the republic since 1932, industrial crops of technical hemp are grown in accordance with strict rules that do not allow falling into trafficking in any amount of psychoactive raw materials.

In turn, during his speech, the President of the Quebec hemp producers (Producteurs de chanvre du Québec) Jacques Dallaire noted that “In the province of Quebec, the vast majority of hemp production has the status of organic and is intended primarily for use in food, cosmetic purposes or in the field of zoo business. Hemp seed is the main commodity group produced in the territory of the above administrative-territorial unit. "

According to Sebetien Belec, vice president of Nature Fibers, a Quebec company, “the physical and mechanical properties of cannabis used in the construction sector are far superior to those demonstrated by similar materials made from various petrochemical products. For example, if you compare the insulation made on the hemp base with similar products made of fiberglass - this is approximately the same as assessing the properties of cars Mercedez and Honda. In terms of cost, hemp insulators are somewhere between the cheapest and most expensive products, and its physicomechanical properties significantly prevail over traditional types of insulators. ”

During the event, all those gathered in the city mayoralty of Dezbiensa agreed that selling cannabis seeds is not an extremely profitable activity. According to the audience, the time has come to diversify the hemp industry in the province of Quebec, subject to increased production and capacity building, the primary processing of hemp straw / trusts, as well as highly profitable "green mass" of the plant.

As a result of the event, the measures of Desbiens expressed interest in creating a production site for the processing of cannabis on the territory of the municipal property of the city. Nicolas Martel said that the most likely will be the cooperation of the municipal authorities with the Quebec cannabis society (Société québécoise du cannabis, SQDC), whose business plan is in fact at the final stage of implementation. In particular, Mr. Martel focused on the fact that “The project should combine efforts to grow and process cannabis on the same production facilities that will be located in the municipality. We are not only interested in the participation of investors from other regions of Canada and local residents in the project. The city authorities intend to become full partners by providing the production company with various financial bonuses. In accordance with this, part of the income received during the work of the enterprise will be directed to the social needs of the region. Taking into account the fact that hemp can become a tool for economic development in many areas of economy, the municipal authorities of Desbiens, even after implementing the project with SQDC, do not plan to stop working with businessmen who can locate other production facilities in the city aimed at processing cannabis raw materials. ”

Commentary of the Association "Ukrainian technical hemp"

SQDC is a corporation responsible for the sale of recreational cannabis within the province. The Government of Quebec in 2018 opened 13 stores to manage a contract worth about 500 million Canadian dollars for growing, processing and selling legal psychoactive cannabisa in Montreal, Quebec, Muscouche, Trois-Rivières, Drummondville, Mirabel, Brossard and Saint-Jean-sur-Mer Richelieu. Conducting this kind of regional cannabis forums, government officials form a closed chain in which extremely profitable cannabis business will not only be controlled by the regional authorities, but also the provincial authorities will be able to contribute to its development, as well as obtaining financial resources not only in the form of contributions to budgets of various levels but also the development of regional social infrastructure.

Taking into account the interest of Ukrainian agricultural producers in the possibility of growing technical therapeutic cannabis varieties on small plots, Edgar Babanov, President of the Baltic Association of Bast Crop Producers and Processors of Bast Crops , was invited to the round table "Nutrition and Hemp" held on April 9-10 . Our colleague will make a presentation ”Lithuanian experience of highly profitable use of small areas of technical hemp for the production of raw materials required in the food and cosmetic market, as well as used in the pharmacological field”.