Hemp Culture Revival Manifesto

It is necessary to take the experience of French hemp breeders into service, especially since the documents initiated by the Association are aimed at eliminating archaic norms from the existing by-laws that impede the development of modern hemp breeding in Ukraine.

The manifesto is a continuation of two official documents previously prepared for hearings in the relevant parliamentary committee. The following is an almost verbatim translation of the appeal of French hemp breeders, which at the moment has already been signed by almost all business entities operating in the market of modern hemp breeding in the country.

As a leader in the industrial hemp industry for decades, France could very well be demoted to the status of a spectator in the market of the most profitable agricultural crop in just a few years. We are talking about braking factors in the development of the industry, at the risk of preventing hundreds of local companies from taking the historic opportunity to combine innovative environmental solutions and the exceptional economic prospects that France needs more than ever. Farmers, industrialists and entrepreneurs working in this sector want to protect the possibility of growing hemp, as well as the further development of various branches of modern hemp breeding.

At the moment, the hemp industry in France is at the confluence of two crises: environmental and economic, aggravated by a pandemic with consequences that have yet to be assessed.

Cannabis grown in France opens up a huge range of possibilities: the production of biocomposite materials, the use of the plant's exclusive properties as a food product, the benefits of hemp as an ecological building material or an excellent raw material used in light industry. Our past is rich in solutions to problems that we have yet to solve, for example, the transition of the economy to "green rails", ensuring food sovereignty, and revitalizing depressed rural areas. That is why it is necessary for government agencies to help restore historical perspectives that open up to the country's economy based on the exclusivity of properties and understanding the feasibility of growing and processing hemp in France.

Unlike us, other countries are moving extremely fast and are rehabilitating new areas of modern hemp breeding with the support of government officials responsible for this. In the absence of a quick reaction to the changing market realities, France will lose its historical leadership in the more than promising agricultural sector.

Based on the foregoing, Cannabis growers in France focus the attention of the public and government agencies on the following key points:

• from an agronomic point of view, hemp is an exceptional crop (there is no GMO dominance; the plant is considered an excellent phytoremedian that effectively restores the soil; it is an excellent precursor for other crops; promotes biological diversity; reduces waste from economic activities to zero; saves water and air resources (the plant “binds” up to 15 СО 2 / ha);

• Thanks to the movement of production processes and the creation of innovative value chains (building materials, food production, cannabinoids), the hemp market revitalizes depressed agricultural areas of the country;

• promotion of hemp leaves and flowers on the market allows us to see new sources of income for our farmers and create new sectors of the economy and new jobs;

• hemp seeds are considered a “superfood”, extremely rich in plant-based proteins, which allows us to reduce the consumption of animal proteins;

• hemp is part of the plant protein production plan; the plant is an environmental and sovereign alternative to imported crops;

• the plant as a building material meets the challenges associated with reducing the ecological footprint in the construction sector;

• hemp opens up great prospects in the production of biologically based plastics and in prospective studies on the use of hemp raw materials as biofuels, the plant can be an excellent alternative to fossil raw materials;

• hemp fiber allows textile products to limit our dependence on imported cotton, for the cultivation of which a huge amount of water is used, and the production cycle involves significant environmental pollution;

• the plant is full of active ingredients for the future in accordance with French expectations for natural healing solutions;

• hemp production at the national level meets the needs of restoring food sovereignty and local consumption without a significant logistic component;

• hemp is a renewable resource that adapts to the needs of the markets and does not require chemicals in the field or during its processing.

For all the above reasons, French government officials must find a worthy place for hemp plant in terms of rebuilding the country.

France should make the most of its many assets and take the opportunity to make hemp - a plant of the future, able to withstand modern challenges. 

Commentary by the Ukrainian Technical Hemp Association

For the national market this kind of document should be interesting, prepared by the farmers of France to lobby their interests at the level of the country's parliament. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that hemp growers in France, understanding the difficult situation that develops this year, are actively raising issues at all levels, focusing on the need to support the hemp industry. This is done, inter alia, in the interests of parliamentary lobby groups working on amendments to the current legislation of the country. The highlight of the entire document is the fact that government officials, including parliamentarians of the country, need to comprehensively approach the exclusive capabilities of the plant without trying to create any preferences for a single sector of modern hemp breeding. 

It is necessary to take the experience of French hemp breeders into service, especially since the documents initiated by the Association are aimed at eliminating archaic norms from the existing by-laws that impede the development of modern hemp breeding in Ukraine.