HempCyberFarm France

Hemp Cultivation in France

The situation in France:

From: Cyril Esnault chanvriere.aube@wanadoo.fr
To: Matthew@HempWorld.com
Subject: Au European leader de chanvre...
Date: Tuesday, February 17, 1998 1:37 AM

LCDA - La Chanvriere de l'Aube since 1973:
One foot in the soil with more than 7,000 ha and one foot in Industry

Rue de Gaulle - 10 200
Bar S/A
France
Fax +33 (0)3 25 27 35 48

LCDA - La Chanvriere de l'Aube cultivates 18,000 acres of Hemp, being the European leader.

LCDA is growing 7, 500 hectares this year (around 18,000 acres). This number is more or less constant for the following reasons:

- The paper fiber outlet tends to be saturated all the more as the competition is increasing while no new niches have been found.

- Textile and Geotextile are encouraging but there is no clear boom.

- We still improve materials we manufacture thanks to improved processors (the second process line has been launched) and important R&D investments. From an another angle , we have to be trusted by consequent industrial partners. It takes time, we work on it.

The new President of LA CHANVRIERE, Mr SAVOURAT, who has been elected in February, will help us to face up with these challenges (European support included).

Some relatively small hemp companies have appeared in France in the last months (from agro structures to cosmetics, textile..). We hope they will highlight industrial hemp advantages. Altogether the hemp cultivation should reach 11 000 hectares this year. A lot of work has still to be done.

More knowledge about the hemp plant, A better image and fame, ever new modern enhancements...this is what we are working on in France as well.

Cyril ESNAULT
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LCDA - LA CHANVRIERE DE L'AUBE -
"One foot in the soil, one foot in Industry"
Cyril Esnault chanvriere.aube@wanadoo.fr

NB A new web site is coming ! Insulating Hemp wool as well !

En Francais:

Les surfaces cultivees cette annee par LA CHANVRIERE devraient atteindre les 7500 hectares. Les debouches dans la papeterie sont quelquepeu satures d'autant que la concurrence va croissante. Les developpements textiles et geotextiles sont timides. Il faut encore ameliorer les produits, c'est pourquoi nous investissons en permanence dans la R&D et le process industriel.Une deuxieme chaine de defibrage vient de voir le jour. Il faut aussi acquerir la confiance des industriels, cela prend du temps. Nous y travaillons sereinement, forts de notre savoir faire et de notre envie de faire reconnaitre les vertus du chanvre industriel.

Lors de la derniere assemblee generale de LA CHANVRIERE, un nouveau President a ete elu. Ancien Tresorier, Monsieur Savourat, connait bien l'entreprise. Il va donner une nouvelle impulsion pour ces nouveaux challenges.

Le chanvre Francais evolue lui aussi. Il n'interresse guere les medias et les incertitudes europeennes pesent sur lui. Des structures modestes sont pourtant apparues. Cela devrait monter les surfaces en France a 12 000 ha environ...bien loin des 160 000 ha de 1840...Nous esperons que cette croissance permettra de donner une image positive au chanvre.

Connaissance du chanvre industriel et de ses proprietes, reconnaissance des avantages de cette plante aupres des industriels et du grand public, valorisations modernes a developper; telles sont pour nous aussi, les pistes du travail des chanvriers Francais.

Bien a vous

Cyril Esnault

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LCDA - LA CHANVRIERE DE L'AUBE-
"One foot in the soil, one foot in Industry"
Cyril Esnault chanvriere.aube@wanadoo.fr
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Hemp in France goes back to around 200 B.C., when Greeks transported it from the Rhône valley for rigging their ships. Manufacture of French hempen fabrics is about as old.

Approximately 6'000 ha is grown in France primarily for building materials, horse and cat bedding. France is a major vendor of EEC approved Hemp-seed within the EU. Most Hemp-seeds from France are bred for !00% compliance with the EEC law on industrial Hemp*.

Do you know more about this? e-mail us at Matthew@HempWorld.com

Hemp facts and links related to France:

French Hemp-seed

Do you know more about this? e-mail us at Matthew@HempWorld.com

*Industrial-Hemp has no psychoactive properties following definition of the European Economic Community (EEC); THC content is less than 0.3%. In general, low THC-seed varieties without psychoactive properties are those that have a THC content of less than 1%. (See also No-THC Hemp-seed.) THC= Delta-9 TetraHydroCannabinol.