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In Vințu de Jos, Alba County, a Dutch company cultivates industrial hemp. The company started planting in 2012, initially as a test, with ten hectares. They found the soil to be good and continued to expand, reaching 350 hectares by 2024. The same company processes what it cultivates and could process hemp from others, from 4,000 hectares. But there is no supply. In Romania, at most 1,000 hectares are cultivated, compared to 45,000 hectares before the Revolution.
The Difference Between Industrial Hemp and Marijuana
Farmers have become wary of this crop due to confusion with the drug Cannabis, which over time has led to much bureaucracy and fear of the police. The head of the HempFlax farm in Alba, Daniel Stanciu, explains the differences between the two plants:
"They are part of the same family, but they are two totally different plants. It contains THC - THC is the drug in the plant - but it has a very, very, very low content. It cannot be used for consumption at all. In our country, it is regulated at 0.2% THC content. The varieties we use have a content of 0.01%.
Marijuana is usually grown more indoors than outdoors because it needs a different kind of light. It does not tolerate extreme temperatures, as industrial hemp does. The leaves of marijuana are much more rounded than those of industrial hemp, which are elongated and narrow. Marijuana leaves are much wider. It has a smell, you can sense a hemp taste, but it has absolutely no psychotropic effect, like marijuana. It's like smoking dried grass."
Hemp Contributes to the European Green Deal
The Dutch knew, even 12 years ago, that hemp is a wonder plant. It is very resilient and does not require much maintenance. It does not produce weeds or diseases, so it does not need chemicals. It doesn't need much water either, and most importantly, it absorbs carbon dioxide and stores it in the soil. A single hectare of hemp absorbs up to 15 tons of CO2. Just like a young forest, but in just five months.
For all these reasons, industrial hemp is a strategic crop in the European Union's vision. Firstly, because it contributes to achieving the objectives of the European Green Deal. But also because it has numerous uses. After harvesting, all parts of the plant are used.
The stem or fiber, for example, is used in the textile industry, the automotive industry, and in construction, where it replaces mineral wool, basalt wool, and polystyrene.
The wood inside the fiber is used as bedding for animals or for building eco-friendly houses. By combining hemp wood, which farmers call hurd, with lime and water, the so-called "eco-concrete" or Hemcrit is produced.
And the dust resulting from processing is also utilized, becoming compost. Nothing is wasted.
Sustainable Agriculture
Hemp is also very suitable in the crop rotation system, required for farmers who want to continue receiving subsidies.
"Starting this year, we are obliged by the Payment and Intervention Agency and the Ministry of Agriculture not to practice monoculture anymore. So, somehow, every two or maybe three years, you are obliged to change. And hemp is an excellent preceding plant. It can be used even if, let's say, a farmer's main crop is corn." (Daniel Stanciu - HempFlax farm manager)
However, beyond the multiple uses and benefits of hemp, the farm in Alba is an example of good practice in terms of how it conducts agriculture. Because climate change has affected them too, and production has decreased while costs have increased, they have started transitioning from intensive agriculture to "No till" agriculture, where the land is no longer plowed. And the positive effects are already visible.
All these, the unplowed land, crop rotation, and biomass transformation into compost, represent sustainable agriculture practices. For which small farms, under 10 hectares, have financial support available. To find out how much money is involved, watch the video report. A new episode of the "Second Life. Circular Economy Models" campaign, initiated by Asociația Soluții Sustenabile, with the support of Stratos and Eco Synergy, aimed at inspiring the business environment to transition from a linear business model to a circular one, as quickly and easily as possible.
Here you can watch episode 1 about Waste: From Waste to Raw Material, Through Innovation
Here you can see episode 2, dedicated to Construction: Profit from Rubble
Here, episode 3, dedicated to Packaging: Goodbye Single-Use Packaging
And here, episode 4, dedicated to the Textile Industry: Better Designed Clothes, Less Thrown Away
