No other country plants as much hemp for fiber as China, which accounts for approximately half of the global supply of hemp fiber, according to the FAS. Hemp has been a popular choice among entrepreneurs for some time now, and while the United States is experiencing a surge in CBD products, it's easy to forget that hemp is grown all over the world. The fact that hemp production in the United States has reached third place in this global ranking is a remarkable accomplishment. It is legal to produce and sell hemp-derived products that contain less than 0.2% THC, and they can also be imported and exported.
This is because the most common cultivars of industrial hemp don't thrive in tropical climates year-round. Colombia is one of many countries where the word cannabis is used for both marijuana and hemp. Despite the general legalization of cannabis and progressive attitudes about hemp, legal CBD in Canada is still a grey area. China is also a world leader in the production and export of textiles, paper, and other hemp-derived products.
Following a 14-year ban, Germany legalized hemp cultivation in 1996, and demand for plant-based products has increased significantly in recent years. Under a pending proposal, licensed hemp producers would be allowed to use all parts of the plant for processing. Although China has a long history with hemp, its industry only began to flourish after the country began researching and developing the plant in the late 1970s. Thousands of years before hemp-derived CBD became a trending product, China planted hemp for fiber and seed production. That's double what Germany produced and Germany is considered to be a major player in the EU hemp industry.
However, German retailers say they are seeing demand for hemp-derived products, such as cereals and cereal bars, flours, oils and hemp beverages, according to a report released in February by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service. In turn, many fought against the ban on hemp because they wanted its versatile uses to be put into practice here in the United States.
