Hemp Grower reports
Editor’s note: This column illustrates one Swedish island’s hemp journey, from being a center for production to enduring years of prohibition to experiencing what is now a bright future.
Sunny Gotland island produces some of Sweden’s best hemp harvests. Having been a center of hemp cultivation for many years, Gotland, Sweden’s largest island, supplied the country with hemp fiber during World War II and up until 1966. During the war period, Gotland provided economic support for hemp cultivation, as many other European regions and countries did; but in 1966, government support disappeared for the farmers. The current ban in Sweden against hemp did not come until 1972, and the ban on growing hemp was not lifted until 2003. Since then, farmers have grown European Union (EU)-approved hemp varieties on the island, which has lime-rich soil and a coastal environment with abundant sunshine.
Despite Gotland’s productive soils, farmers today are forced to rethink alternatives and find new industrial crops to grow, especially since a prominent sugar factory on the island closed. While the factory had made a profit, it was moved to the mainland with the motivation to further increase profits and be closer to more sugar beet growers. After years of reliance on beets, Gotland farmers were forced to stop growing sugar beets and continue their search for profitable industrial crops.
“I am convinced that hemp is here to stay,” says Benny Nilsson, a central figure in the lengthy story of industrial hemp on Gotland, “but we must first make it work.”
Rediscovering Hemp on Gotland
The story of modern hemp cultivation on Gotland began quite dramatically. In 2001, two years before Sweden lifted its hemp ban, Nilsson decided to buy French hemp varieties to grow on several of the many nitrogen-rich drained bog lands situated around the island. He sowed a total of 5 hectares (12.4 acres) of hemp and was amazed at how well the crop grew on these lands.
https://www.hempgrower.com/article/how-swedens-largest-island-gotland-rebuilt-hemp-industry/
