Hemp farming in India

Hemp has been used recreational, industrially and medicinally for centuries in different cultures in India. Moreover, it is used religiously on the name of God Shiva. 

Market Stats:
According to a report published in 2014, the legalising of hemp will help in the creation of an industrial hemp textile market in India, valued at an estimated Rs 240 million. Currently, the hemp production market is dominated by China, France and Germany.

Legalisation Status:

The first step towards legalization of hemp cultivation in India was taken in 2010, when the Textile Ministry passed a Natural Fiber Policy, in which it identified the growing demand for hemp fiber. As per the policy,  Uttarakhand, which has a tradition of growing hemp , was declared a nodal state for hemp promotion by the ministry.

Uttarakhand is the first state to legalize hemp cultivation in India, are symptomatic of the misinformation there exists on cannabis and its regulation in the country. Bridging the communication gap among the public and convincing them of its good intentions will be among the state government's biggest challenges. Uttarakhand is said to have more sativa or sativa dominant cannabis plants than indica, and Himachal Pradesh, popular for its hashish, has more indica or indica-dominant plants. 

Uttarakhand has tasked three state research institutions to develop cannabis plants with a THC concentration at 0.3-1.5% for industrial use. If one had the bud of the variety the govt plans to licence one would end up with a splitting headache rather than a high as in these plants will have negligible THC but more of cannabinoid (CBD).

Standardize Seeds:

Bombay Hemp Company (BOHECO), a company which provides a link to the market for hemp products, has joined hands with an institute under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research to carry out research on the 150-odd different seeds it has collected, with an aim to standardize seeds which are low in THC. 


Presently, most of the hemp used in textiles or for food is collected from the wild.
whether or not the government allowed it, people in the region have been growing hemp. One of the most common uses of the seed in Uttarakhand is a flavorful chutney. 

Growing hemp has always been legal under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985. Sections 10 and 14 allow for the cultivation of cannabis for industrial, medicinal and scientific purposes, under the government watch. 

Section 10 of the Act gives the state government the power to decide the limits within which licences may be given for its cultivation.   Besides, the government also sells bhang, an intoxicant made from cannabis leaves and buds and consumed widely on Holi, in some states.

Significant numbers of villagers in Uttarakhand, Kashmir and Kerala grow hemp to obtain fiber from the stems and oil from the seeds. Some even roast the seeds to eat as food or use them as religious offerings. But their crops are frequently destroyed by the police, who confuse this strain of hemp with the narcotic variety.

The hemp industry in India and elsewhere is asking to be taken seriously as a producer of environmentally sustainable material. Now is the high time to implement industrial hemp.