The hemp industry is booming in Argentina, as in the rest of South America. In particular, in the world's no. 1 country in terms of meat and wheat exports, the production and commercialisation of the hemp plant has been flourishing for a couple of years now, only to be definitively put under the spotlight of the national agricultural sector as of 2022, when the law legalising this type of cultivation was passed.

In fact, now more than ever, Argentina has realised that hemp production can be very profitable in a country where soya dominates, causing significant geo-environmental imbalances.

In light of this, and the potential that hemp has to offer, especially in the textile sector, Parliament decided to regulate the legal cultivation of the plant by encouraging investment in the sector.

In view of the new developments that are changing the scenario in Argentina and the novelties introduced from both a legislative and an agricultural point of view, I think it is interesting to take a closer look at the renaissance of textile hemp in Argentina.

The law changes and gives hemp and its producers a chance

As in many parts of the world, hemp cultivation was officially banned in Argentina in 1977 (Decree-Law No 21671) with the explanation that the Cannabis Sativa L. plant was a narcotic to be prohibited.

Decades have passed since that day that put an end to the production of this plant, however, the Argentinean Parliament recently reversed the situation. In fact, in May 2022, after a heated debate, law no. 27699 was approved, legalising industrial hemp, allowing not only the production of cannabis as a palliative medicine, but also the cultivation of this fibre for industrial enterprises with a focus on the textile sector. In particular, the law also provides for the legalisation of sub-products obtained during the processing of the plant.

In any case, what was most surprising was the fact that the approved law establishes a regulatory marker that stimulates public and private investment in order to encourage the growth of all plantations in the country, not only for the elaboration of pain medicines, but also for the manufacture of ecological and sustainable hemp textiles.

Hemp in Argentina: let's do the maths

By enacting the law, the aim is to develop a thriving market of up to US$500 million while creating at least 10,000 jobs in a nation where the economic crisis has been plaguing for years.

It is also for this reason that the law has allowed the creation of plantations for the production of hemp for both medicinal and industrial use, including textiles. These include the state-owned company Cannava located in the province of Jujuy, which will produce 80,000 plants on 35 hectares of land, making it perhaps the largest and most legal plantation in Latin America [1].

Hemp is a rustic type of plant and therefore offers wide margins for agro-climatic adaptation, making Argentina a perfect agro-ecological territory for the production of textile hemp. In this respect, it should be noted that there are many areas where this plant can be cultivated in a suitable way.

As was pointed out by the Argentine government in the information on hemp presented by the Secretariat of Agriculture and Fisheries, many areas of the country are naturally predisposed to the cultivation of the plant, taking into account both the photothermal and water requirements that this type of cultivation requires.

Analysing the map presented, it is clear that provinces such as Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, Cordoba, Santa Fe, Entre Rios and Corrientes are propitious areas for hemp, plantations that, if created, could lend a hand to the environment, which is suffering from the numbers of pesticides and herbicides used for soya production.

What Argentina has to offer textile hemp

Having said all this, one has to ask what are the Argentinian advantages of textile hemp. A group of professors from the National University José C. Paz with their observatory on Cannabis Sativa L. In particular, Argentina has a considerable advantage in terms of primary production costs, given the high productivity of the national agricultural sector. In addition to this historical advantage that the country offers, there is the enormous agricultural technological structure that is available to process this plant and produce the material necessary for the elaboration of hemp fabric [2].

From this point of view, it must be said that Argentina is recognised worldwide for having all the machinery one needs to work the crops, as well as having a highly specialised workforce on hand. To all this must be added the constant scientific and industrial research carried out by public and private bodies that could lead to the creation of new machinery and techniques for the cultivation and manufacture of hemp fabrics that would revolutionise this market in the future.

Hemp textile industry: Argentine examples

Having reached this point, it is interesting to present some of the pioneer companies of textile hemp in Argentina.

Stay True Organic paves the way

A company that is certainly in the forefront of working on textile hemp and biodynamic cultivation is Stay True Organic, which, in collaboration with other entrepreneurs, has started a project on Argentinian soil for the production of garments using hemp fibre imported from India as raw material, in the form of threads in Argentina to start making towels, nappies, T-shirts and even clothes for the little ones, but not only.

In fact, this Argentine textile industry produces textiles that are required by various manufacturers to make other types of products such as backpacks, bags and sacks.

From this project, the 'Iteva' factory was born, which processes the threads to obtain 50 rolls of hemp cloth to be distributed to around 30 producers [3].

Volga Studio: between tradition and innovation

Also opening its doors is Volga Studio, a clothing brand that produces items mainly from the natural fibre hemp and occasionally from organic cotton. In the pursuit of sustainability in all its forms, Volga Studio not only uses totally biodegradable and environmentally friendly fibres such as hemp, but also makes use of fabrics such as ecological vegetable leather that are handcrafted by incorporating only natural dyes.

Adhering to the principles of slow fashion that desperately seeks to reduce the pollution brought about by the consumerist fast-fashion machine, Volga Studio in Argentina produces limited edition hemp bags, backpacks and pouches.

John Foos bets on hemp

This natural fibre is not only excellent for making T-shirts, bags and pouches. When spun well, it is also ideal for creating premium quality shoes. This is what the well-known Argentinian footwear brand has done. In 2020, it launched a collection of shoes made only from hemp. This product is designed for customers who care and care about the environment.

Since then, between 4000 and 5000 pairs of shoes are produced per month, one-colour models using fibre bought from a local manufacturer and then spun and processed in another local company [4].

Finally, a curious fact about the history of hemp in Argentina

Before closing this article, I would like to let you know a little curious fact. One of the first promoters of the cultivation and use of hemp in Argentina was General Manuel Belgrano, of Italian origin, who already in the early 1800s firmly believed in this plant both as a medicine and as a fabric with interesting qualities [5]. Thanks to him, in fact, hemp production in Argentina grew exponentially until the 1970s, when many companies, including the renowned Linera Bonaerense and Algodonera Flandria de Julio Steverlynck, were forced to say goodbye to textile hemp (the ban imposed by law).

Certainly, after the liberalisation of the sector in 2022, the future prospects for hemp textiles in Argentina are more than propitious. Although it is true that there is still a long way to go, interesting developments for hemp textiles in Argentina can already be seen. All the wheels that have been set in motion presage the creation, in the future, of a flourishing market for hemp textiles in this country that opens its doors to innovation.