Brazil launches large-scale research campaign on industrial hemp

Brazilian agricultural research agency Embrapa has received the green light from Brazil’s health agency for large-scale research on industrial hemp. As Reuters notes, this is a significant step that brings the agricultural giant closer to large-scale cultivation of the crop.

Emrapa researcher and director Daniela Bittencourt welcomed the decision, which gives the agency unprecedented permission to create the country’s first-ever seed bank and develop projects to genetically improve the plant for various applications.

“We plan to conduct the research for 12 years, but it could continue forever, as is the case with soybeans and corn,” Bittencourt noted.

Similar research by Embrapa on soybeans, conducted since the 1970s, opened up vast regions of Brazil to large-scale cultivation of the bean, ushering in a significant increase in the country’s oilseed production and making it the world’s largest soybean producer and exporter.

As Bittencourt previously noted, the company’s plans include creating a seed bank and adapting varieties to Brazilian soil and climate, as well as assisting in identifying and developing regional production centers across the country.

Emrapa’s work could also attract the attention of international companies already interested in Brazil’s potential for developing and selling medicinal and industrial hemp products domestically.

Bittencourt announced that the Brazilian government will soon allocate an initial 13 million reais (US$2.41 million) in public funding for research, adding that the agency is open to studying this plant in partnership with the private sector.

The agency is expected to issue regulations on industrial hemp cultivation in Brazil by March 2026, following a court ruling requiring it to do so in November 2024.

Tags: Brazil, hemp