MJBizMag September 2020 - 78

AFFAIRS
FOREIGN
Licensed Hemp Acreage in Germany
Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture's Foreign Agricultural Services
Copyright 2020 Marijuana Business Daily, a division of Anne Holland Ventures Inc. All rights reserved.
were cultivated that year, according to
figures from the country's Federal Office
for Agriculture and Food. Now there are
575 establishments cultivating hemp.
Despite the rapid growth, Germany
GERMANY
2019 population: 83.1 million
2019 GDP: $3.8 trillion
2020 Projected GDP (% change):
-7.8%
Source: World Bank and International
Monetary Fund
After a 14-year ban, Germany legalized
hemp cultivation in 1996, and demand
for products derived from the plant has
been increasing in recent years.
In 2019, the country grew 11,140 acres
(4,508 hectares) of hemp, which was an
increase of about 45% from 2018. (See
" Licensed Hemp Acreage in Germany. " )
In fact, both the number of establishments
licensed to grow hemp and the amount
of hemp grown have steadily risen since
2013. Only 86 establishments were growing
hemp in 2013 and just 1,080 acres
trails some of Europe's more prolific
hemp cultivators such as France and
Lithuania, which in 2019 planted 35,944
acres and 22,550 acres, respectively.
But German retailers say they're seeing
demand for hemp-derived products such
as cereals and cereal bars, hemp flours,
oils and beverages, according to a report
released in February by the USDA's Foreign
Agricultural Service.
One of Germany's largest retailers reported
having 100 different hemp-based
products on shelves, according to media
reports; another well-known drugstore
had more than 40 such products.
And according to the German Federal
Institute for Risk Assessment, more than
200 hemp-derived products entered the
German market between 2012 and 2017,
about 150 of them food products.
CBD products also are popular, but
as in many parts of the world, the legal
environment is complex.
In 2019, the European Food Safety
78 Marijuana Business Magazine | September 2020
Authority included CBD in the Novel
Foods Catalogue, meaning products require
government approval before they're
marketed. But getting approval is a long,
expensive process.
" Even though CBD products are currently
available on the market, companies
run a high risk of potential harm to
their businesses due to different interpretations
of the laws and regulations, " the
FAS warned.
Still, there is a " clear upward trend
in the German hemp market and
increasing export opportunities for
U.S. suppliers, " the FAS concluded in
its February report. There was a caveat,
however: " In view of the wide range of
products, recent legal changes and the
complex legal environment, we advise
that U.S. exporters verify the full set of
import requirements with the respective
competent authorities. "
Ivan Moreno is a reporter
for Hemp Industry Daily
and Marijuana Business
Magazine. You can reach
him at ivan.moreno@
hempindustrydaily.com.

MJBizMag September 2020

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