The rise of the Indian hemp industry

Despite the lack of awareness among consumers and farmers, entrepreneurs predict a bright future

New Delhi: The current breed of entrepreneurs who sell hemp products in India generally find themselves, with a question, from their regular consumers “Will this get me high?” A similar query isn’t part of the psyche when it comes to plant-based products like tea, coffee, seeds, oil, powder etc.

Despite its many uses and manifold sustainability, without the proper knowledge of what hemp is used for, this line of questioning will persist. Hemp is used in food, beverages, food supplements and fabric. In India, under section 10 of the Indian Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act of 1985, the state governments have the power to licence cultivation of cannabis for medical and scientific purposes. Hence, Uttarakhand government has become the first state to issue a license for the cultivation of hemp to the Indian Industrial Hemp Association to grow industrial hemp. States like Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh are also looking towards legalising the crop.

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A lot of startups in recent years are collaborating with each other to develop a domestic market for innovative products like hempcrete, hemp paper and biofuel. They are also promoting the cultivation of hemp in their regions. One of the major improvements from their efforts has been the creation of awareness among people about the difference between hemp and medical cannabis in the context of its use and abuse.

Hemp as food is a complete plant-based protein. With the widespread movement called veganism, hemp is being used as one of the best protein substitutes for non-vegetarian products. It is allergen-free and has the perfect ratio of Omega 3 and 6 which is ideal for our health. The pandemic came as an opportunity for these entrepreneurs to market these benefits when people started looking for knowledge regarding food, nutrition, alternative curative methods and therapeutic products that would help with anxiety, pain relief and other effective solutions for the body, mind and soul.