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.
In December 2023, Ukraine's parliament adopted a law, legalizing medical cannabis, while retaining penalties for recreational distribution. This facilitated the revival of hemp cultivation in the country.
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.
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