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Cultivation |
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“This page is updated regularly.
Your comments are appreciated. Send them to info@hempsys.net” |
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In Europe |
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On a limited surface area
In Europe hemp is mainly cultivated for technical applications (paper, insulation and building materials etc.) but the Hempsys project focused on tackling the problems of developing a textiles production chain, from field to final product. These pages present the results obtained from cultivation trials in the project, and briefly describe the production steps that lead to textiles end products. The two major bottlenecks that make hemp textile production problematic are (i) mechanisation of harvesting and (ii) controlled extraction and degumming (retting) of the fibres. Hemp-Sys saw new techniques (recently patented by Gruppo Fibranova) with low-environmental impact being established that eliminate the aforementioned bottlenecks. Moreover, the new techniques involve no chemicals, thus eliminating from the production chain up until the yarn is spun.
Though progress has been made it is must be pointed out that the new processing techniques must be evaluated in a pre-industrial trial, prior to being established industrially. |
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Hemp cultivation is subject to some legal constraints. In particular, only registered hemp varieties can be sown and the grower must have a contract with a primary processor. There is currently a new proposal to reform the subsidies for hemp and flax growers (http://www.eiha.org/press-release-eu-en.htm).
An important issue with regard to relaunching hemp cultivation is the vicinity of the farm to the production site. With ever increasing fuel prices, transport distances must be kept to a minimum.
The recently modified Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) could aid the relaunch, firstly because of the "eco-obligations" now imposed on the agricultural sector, and secondly thanks to the new plan for agricultural development. It should be added that when processing hemp stems the "waste" itself (i.e. core, short fibres and dust) has an added value, thus rendering hemp cultivation and processing econimcally competitive (multipurpose crop) and environmentally friendly (bio-cascading). |
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For more imformation on growing hemp for textile destination click here |
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Italian version |
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