Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
20
Hemp Production Outside the
Pierre Bouloc
1
and Janoš Berenji
2
1
La Chanvriere de L' Aube (LCDA), France;
2
Institute of Field and Vegetable Crops, Novi Sad, Serbia
20.1
Canada and the USA
under hemp production increased to its highest
level in 2006, at 19,458 ha (48,060 acres),
almost double that in 2005. Prairie Provinces
again led the country in hemp production, with
almost 97% of hemp area. Manitoba had 10,705
ha (26,442 acres) of hemp, followed by
Saskatchewan at 6025 ha (14,882 acres) and
Alberta at 2103 ha (5194 acres). In 2007, the
area under hemp production decreased by about
68%, due primarily to the lack of processing
facilities for hemp fibre and stock. In 2008, the
area licensed for commercial hemp produc-
tion in Canada decreased further by almost
47% to 3259 ha (8050 acres). The total
number of licences issued by Health Canada
was 85 in 2008, a significant decrease over
the past few years.
In 2009, the area licensed for hemp pro-
duction increased by 72% across Canada over
that in 2008, that is, from 3259 ha (8050
acres) to 5602 ha (13,837 acres). The major
increases in area were again on the Prairie
Provinces, led by Manitoba (145%) and
Saskatchewan (34%). The area of land under
hemp production in Alberta increased by 200
ha (524 acres) in 2008. The only province to
report a decrease in hemp area in 2009 was
Quebec, from 134 ha (331 acres) in 2008 to
92 ha (227 acres) in 2009. In British Columbia,
the area for hemp production increased from 5
ha in 2008 to 84 hectares in 2009. Similarly,
the area in Ontario increased from a mere 8 ha
In the USA, during World War II, hemp pro-
duction was encouraged briefly by a govern-
ment programme (1942-1945). Synthetic
fibre was new and had not yet usurped hemp's
maritime role. After the war, it was banned in
North America and across the world and
50 years elapsed before it reappeared as a
crop, and then only on Canadian soil. Hemp
was legalized by the Canadian government in
1998, marking the return of the hemp industry
to the continent of North America.
According to Health Canada, in 1998 the
Canadian government issued 12 licences for
the production of hemp on 2400 ha. The fol-
lowing year, the demand for licences exploded,
with 578 requests made, of which 33 were for
scientific purposes, the remaining 545 being
for commercial production. In 1999, this trans-
lated into an area under cultivation of 14,200
ha. Over the next 2 years, the permitted area
under production fell. This can be attributed to
market instability and the concomitant accu-
mulation of a large stock of raw material.
The vicissitudes of the first decade of hemp
production in Canada are explained in an
AgCanada report; in 2005, the area licensed for
hemp production in Canada increased almost
threefold to 9725 ha (24,021 acres) (Fig. 20.1).
The largest increases in hemp production area
were in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. The area
