Ukrainian farmers are actively reviving and developing hemp farming for industrial purposes.
This was reported by the director of the Department of Agrarian Development of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy Ihor Vishtak after visiting the farms of the Khmilnytskyi district of the Vinnytsia region.
Hemp cultivation can also affect the development of related industries — food, light and pulp and paper. This became possible now because the law on the legalization of medical cannabis was passed.
According to Vistak, cultivating hemp helps aerate the soil and cleans it of heavy metals like zinc, copper and lead. He also added that Ukraine has the best varieties of industrial hemp from around the world.
The Institute of Bast Crops of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and the Institute of Agriculture of the North-East of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine have different varieties of hemp. And another 11 private agricultural enterprises are engaged in the cultivation of hemp seed material.
What is known about the legalization of medical cannabis
The law on the legalization of medical cannabis entered into force on August 16. It regulates its circulation for medical and industrial purposes, scientific and scientific and technical activities.
The Ministry of Health notes that medical cannabis is effective in the treatment of more than 50 pathological conditions: chronic pain, arthritis, rheumatism, epilepsy, Alzheimerʼs and Parkinsonʼs diseases, diabetic neuropathy, various forms of sclerosis, etc. And they add that cannabis is used for medical purposes in 56 countries of the world.