Farmers consider giving up investments in hemp in Portugal

For two years, Luís Sezões, 40, who has lived in Germany for eight years, was thinking about returning to Portugal with his family. “I've been researching possible crops for a few hectares of land I have in Alentejo and I wanted to invest in hemp. I've always believed in the potential of this plant and I think it's the crop of the future, but with everything I've been following in Portugal I'm starting to have doubts. This seven-headed beast that the government creates around something that could be so simple and that would bring benefits to many people and the country is simply incomprehensible”, he laments.

Ordinance “closes the doors to small farmers”

Rita Oliveira, a consultant in the field of industrial hemp, represents several farmers and investors in the sector in Portugal and says that the fact that the ordinance defines 0,5 ha as the minimum area for cultivation comes “to close the doors to small farmers. Of the seven requests that were granted last year to farmers I represented, only two had more than 0,5 ha”. And she continues: “This is a plant with immense regeneration potential and small farmers, like me, who are doing regeneration and working for sustainability, doing agro-ecology, do not let this plant be used. The plots where I make hemp, in the years to come where I plant other things, I notice that the vegetables have another quality”.

Rita, who had already lodged complaints with the DGAV – General Directorate of Food and Veterinary Medicine – last year and made a complaint with the Ombudsman's Office, also refers to the contradiction that this ordinance represents shortly after the Minister of Agriculture signed a protocol for the establishment of the Competence Center for Family Agriculture and Agroecology (CeCAFA), which aims to strengthen research, the dissemination of knowledge, the promotion of innovation and the qualification of producers in the enhancement of family farming. “If we want to encourage family farming, it is unthinkable that, in the XNUMXst century, this culture will be taken away from small farmers. With several political forces already working towards regeneration, banning or limiting the cultivation of industrial hemp makes no sense.”

Farmers were not heard
Farmers regret that, once again, they have not been called or heard to make their contribution to the new rules on hemp cultivation, despite several requests for a meeting. “Since 2018, we have been trying to dialogue with the DGAV and the Ministry, so that ordinances adapted to the reality of farmers are made, and in fact they are closed doors. This ordinance confirms that the DGAV and the MA are not working with farmers or listening to them”, says Rita Oliveira, who also adds: “The DGAV and whoever made the ordinance does not seem to have real agronomic data. For example, the date of July 31, established in the ordinance as the deadline for submitting applications, is not realistic, because hemp is not planted in August.”

European Commission highlights hemp's role in sustainability
In 2021, the European Commission launched an specific page for industrial hemp, highlighting that “hemp production offers ample opportunities for farmers, industrial sectors and consumers in the European Union”, in addition to its environmental benefits and its importance for sustainability. The page also highlights that “hemp cultivation contributes to the objectives of the 'European Ecological Pact' and that hemp has a number of environmental benefits, including storing carbon, breaking the cycle of disease, preventing soil erosion, contributing to biodiversity, and low or no pesticide use. The EU page also makes reference to the different uses of hemp, from the textile industry to construction, through the production of paper or food and feed, among other uses that contribute to sustainability. Hemp cultivation in Europe has increased by 75% in recent years, with France leading the way in the largest producing countries.

Cannareporter sent a request for clarification to the Ministry of Agriculture and DGAV and is awaiting a response. We also contacted cannacasa – Industrial Hemp Association and ACCIP – Industrial Hemp Traders Association of Portugal and we will publish your reactions as soon as possible.