The first crop of legal hemp for CBD or cannabis oil has been collected in Belgium, as Tanguy du Monceau (42) has become the first – and for the time being, the only – farmer in the country to harvest legal hemp.
The hemp or cannabis in question is completely legal, as it is a variant of the common hemp plant (scientific name: cannabis sativa) with very low levels of THC, the psychoactive compound of the hemp-based drug for which the plant is best known.
After several years of testing his Canbe project, du Monceau is the first farmer to legally harvest the plant for the production of CBD in Belgium, collecting a modest one-hectare harvest this year.
"Since 2019, we have been testing on one to five hectares. The harvest of the one hectare is about 1 tonne of raw material, good for 30 kg of CBD for use in cosmetics," Tanguy du Monceau of the Canbe project told De Tijd.
Industrial hemp
While Canbe is currently only selling the oil through its own website, other points of sale could be added "if things go well," he said, adding that he could develop other uses for his hemp, but CBD remains the focus for now. Additionally, it is not so easy to find nearby installations to process the plants, especially because some Walloon hemp projects have failed in recent years.
The hemp that du Monceau is collecting is sometimes referred to as industrial hemp, because it has many applications without a hallucinogenic effect. More components from hemp can be used than with grain, for example: it can be used to make textiles or paper, as well as insulation and building materials.
Related News
- Coffee shops will 'hopefully' soon open in Brussels,' says Mayor
- Mexico City hosts film festival devoted entirely to cannabis
- Brussels Mayor: 'Police repression does not work, decriminalise cannabis now'
In recent years, industrial hemp, a plant that humans have used for thousands of years, has seen a revival in the West. With the introduction of clear legislation and driven by the high demand for CBD in France, hundreds of farmers have started growing it for the production of CBD in just a few years.
In Belgium, however, cultivation is still in its infancy. It mainly seems to be getting off the ground in Wallonia – partly because of government subsidies – but there is also interest (and a support mechanism) in farmers in Flanders.
