Hugo Monteiro sent clarification to DGAV before being detained by GNR

Hugo Monteiro, the farmer and founder of the Lusicanna Industrial Hemp Cooperative, sent a clarification to DGAV – General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine, on 27 August, just over a week before being held by the GNR, in Serpa. The email was sent following the delays in granting his hemp cultivation, for which he had been trying to obtain authorization since February 2021. Meanwhile, Hugo Monteiro has already been heard by the Judicial Court of Serpa and released with a term of identity and residence.

Cannareporter had access to the document, addressed to the person responsible for the Division of Varieties and Seeds of DGAV, Conceição Canas Serra de Carvalho, and transcribes it below in full. 

“Dear. Mrs. Dr. M. Conceição Carvalho,

We hereby clear up some misunderstanding regarding our industrial hemp growing operation.

We are producers of aromatic and medicinal plants in biological mode in the Vale do Guadiana Natural Park, in Serpa, since 2015. We were supported in the context of installing young farmers. The first years were very difficult due to the extreme drought that took place, which led us to increasingly look for resilient crops that would provide greater added value. We left irrigated perennial crops and opted for rainfed perennial crops, such as Rosmaninho Branco, Alecrim or Perpétua das Ares. We have experimented with ancient cultures such as true saffron (Crocus sativus) with great success, as it is a culture suitable for poor soil, which does not need water and has high added value.

Since the beginning, we have adopted techniques for regeneration of poor soils, namely the cultivation in “K-Line” lines that allow the retention of water in the soil and, in the long term, the increase of the humus layer. We practice “Biodynamic Agriculture” which has allowed us to recover ancestral farming techniques such as tuning in to the lunar calendar and the position of the main constellations. All these techniques show a good result in our productions and especially in the regeneration of our farm.

After the great losses of 2017 and 2018, we were selecting what this land could give us. We decided to invest in the production of essential oils, as we had very positive experiences with our plants in distillation. This decision defined our current course. We cannot produce large quantities, as we do not have water, but we can produce plants with a high content of essential oils, as the climate favors it.

It was in this sense that the opportunity for industrial hemp arose. We started in 2019 with the first plantation, completely on an experimental basis. We were the first producers of hemp essential oil in the country, which we are very proud of. I should mention that hemp essential oil does not have any amount of cannabinoids, as they are all eliminated by the steam temperature. It only has terpenes, like in the other oils we make. We currently distill eighteen plants from this region. Hemp is without a doubt our innovation.

As an experimental crop, it was a success, as the adaptation to the region was good. Since then we have been improving the way of production with all the existing institutional constraints. I must emphasize that we have always complied, or have tried to comply with regulations for the crops in which we invest. Hemp was no different. We did all the procedures to have our operation regularized.

In 2020, DGAV refused the authorization we requested and in early 2021 we started the authorization request. Since February, we have been answering questions that are asked by you. We have all the necessary requirements and we consider your delay to be very harmful to our campaign.

At the beginning of 2021, after receiving the first requests from Your Excellencies, we took steps to obtain the necessary documents. We have been in this process since February, so we cannot be held responsible for the delay in the requested cultivation authorization. This authorization request in 2021 is intended to complement our production experience, with the production of oil from cold-pressed seed.

After the unexpected initial constraints in the authorization process, we decided to sow about a thousand plants from the seeds that were authorized in 2019, in order to adapt the crop to seed oil. It is for this reason that we already have some plants in the field, with authorized and certified seeds, and we await your authorization to increase this experimental production. These seeds are from a certified batch and we already have production analyzes that we send in the attachment.

Our objective continues to be to experiment and demonstrate agronomic techniques favorable to the regeneration of soils and capable of giving an economic return to young farmers, motivating them to make a change in life in a more sustainable way.

I am available for any clarification in person or online.

With best regards, from the Serpa mountain range,

Hugo Monteiro

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