An analysis of the current and potential market opportunities for hempseed and fibre: the case of Scotland?

Background: The growing demand for eco-friendly food and industrial products have renewed interest in industrial hemp which is a low-cost, biodegradable, sustainable, and multi-purpose plant. Many countries in Europe and Asia have changed their laws to take advantage of the tremendous benefits that industrial hemp present. However, the development of the sector in Scotland is very slow due to stringent laws. The goal of the present study is to present policymakers with economic data on the current and potential market opportunities for industrial hemp, trends in new product development, and the state of the hemp supply chain. This study entails desk-based research primary and secondary data analysis. Primary data were collected from farmers in Aberdeenshire and Scottish borders, and secondary data were collected from the FAOSTATS Office of National Statistics and the Global New Product Database. Results: The results of this study show that the opportunities from hemp seed and fibre are vast: hemp can sequester more carbon dioxide than traditional crops can, improve soil biodiversity, extract toxins from soil through phytoremediation, be used as an eco-friendly insecticide and pesticide, and provide an excellent source of protein, fibre and micronutrient vitamins and minerals, as well as a range of bioactive phytochemicals. The GNPD reveals that over 4000 hemp-based products have been launched worldwide. However, the supply chain for Scottish-grown hemp faces significant bottlenecks. The sector lacks a well-established market route, faces a high licensing costs, lacks hemp seed-pressing centres, etc. Conclusion: This study is relevant because it is the first study to provide a comprehensive analysis of the industrial hemp sector in Scotland. This study makes time-bound recommendations to grow the hemp sector in Scotland, which include regular extension services, easy access to licences for production, the establishment of a hempseed and fibre processing plants, and seed production centre.