| BIORESOURCE |  |
| HEMP | |
| 1995 |
Two papers were presented by representatives of the Polish Institute of
Natural Fibres which demonstrated the current state of Polish hemp
cultivation.
Cultivating Cannabis in Poland
The first of these was from Ryszard Kozlowski, who presented results from
the cultivation of two domestic varieties, and explained that their fibre
yields per hectare have almost doubled since the 1950’s.
Russian equipment is used for harvesting, followed by dew-retting in the
field. Subsequent processing involves equipment manufactured
domestically. Approximately
3000
hectares are under commercial cultivation in Poland, with plans for an
additional
2500
hectares for the production of cellulose.
Cannabis Cleans Contamination
Przemyslaw Baraniecki presented a paper which outlined a very different use
for cannabis hemp. He has concluded from four years of cultivation that
hemp can help in the reclamation of soils contaminated with heavy metals.
His tests suggest that high levels of heavy metals in soil do not impair
plant growth, and that yield and fibre quality do not differ from those
obtained on regular soils.
However, Przemyslaw didn’t address the issues surrounding the use of
potentially contaminated hemp fibres in clothing or industry. Although his
initial research suggests the potential for gradual and inexpensive
remediation of heavy metal contaminated soils by hemp, these other issues
must also be discussed.
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