In Ukraine, there is no developed system for advanced processing of hemp raw materials, and the needs of the domestic market for such products are met through imports. This was reported by the press service of the Department of Agro-Industrial Development of the Sumy Regional State Administration.

In the Sumy region, a draft concept of the state target program for the development of hemp for the period up to 2025 will already be developed.

“Sumshchyna belongs to the leaders in the cultivation of technical hemp in Ukraine. The share of areas under hemp crops in the Sumy region is 22.2% of the total area under this crop in Ukraine,” the report says.

The main areas of processing of hemp raw materials are the production of food products from commercial seeds of industrial hemp and the production of hemp fiber from trust. In Ukraine, the system of in-depth processing of hemp raw materials is not developed, and the needs of the domestic market for products are met by imports.

"In order to develop the hemp growing industry, primary and secondary processing of raw materials from industrial hemp both in the region and in Ukraine, there is a need to develop, adopt and implement the concept of the State Target Program for the Development of Hemp Growing for the period up to 2025," the department notes.

The implementation of the concept is expected to allow:

reduce the area of ​​degraded agricultural land and ensure progress in improving soil fertility, combating pests and diseases of industrial hemp and other agricultural plants;

to increase the volume of production of high-quality hemp seeds of domestic selection in scientific institutions and specialized agricultural enterprises;

to carry out the construction of new processing capacities, as well as the formation of a pool of industrial producers of technical hemp to meet their needs in raw materials;

increase the share of enterprises engaged in the cultivation of industrial hemp, including farms and specialized enterprises engaged in the production of organic products, as well as create appropriate specialized clusters;

conduct training and improve the skills of farmers, other business entities on the use of modern and intensive agricultural technologies for growing and processing hemp technical on the basis of relevant scientific institutions of the National Academy of Agricultural Sciences;

improve the material and technical base of agricultural enterprises, which will ensure the promotion of industrial hemp processing products to the organized trade market at stable prices;

ensure the growth of income of business entities;

ensure the development of industrial hemp processing and saturation of the domestic market with value-added products that will replace imported analogues;

to create additional jobs with the approximation of the average monthly wage of agricultural workers to the average level for sectors of the economy;

increase the export of quality products and increase tax revenues to the state and local budgets;

ensure the further development of domestic agricultural science.

Funding of the concept in the required volumes is supposed to be carried out at the expense of the state budget, local budgets, private investments and other sources not prohibited by law.

The amount of expenditure required to implement the concept will be specified every year when drafting state and local budgets, taking into account real possibilities.

Now in the world there are more than 50 thousand items of products made from technical (non-narcotic) hemp. Directly in the Sumy region, there is considerable experience in the manufacture of such products: hemp cheese, butter, as well as eco-ware, twine, hemp-based eco-composites.

It is worth noting that hemp has been developed in Ukraine for a long time - hemp oil and seeds were an integral part of traditional Ukrainian dishes. Hemp was used to weave clothes, cook food and produce many other important household items.

agronews.ua