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TEXTILE HEMP IN EMILIA ROMAGNA
At the beginning of the 19th Century, Italy was second only to Russia in the
production of hemp.
In those days, over 79.000 hectares of land were destined to the cultivation of
this plant, with a yearly yield of about 800.000 tons.
In 1914 the province of Ferrara produced 363.000 tons of hemp, against the
157.000 tons of the province of Caserta, the 145.000 tons of the province of
Bologna and the 85.000 tons of the province of Naples.
During the following years , all over the nation territory there was a
progressive reduction in the cultivation of hemp, and as a result, also in the
production of the hemp fiber. From a maximum of 85.000 hectares of cultivation
and a production of one million tons, the cultivation was reduced to a
cultivation of only 1.860 hectares in 1969, with a production of a mere 21.000
tons, down to an all time low of 899 hectares of cultivation with a yield of
10.000 tons in 1970.
The hemp crisis, which had begun in 1958 with the disappearance of production in
the Padana Plane, was completed when Campania, the last region that tried to
contrast the negative trend, was finally forced to abandon its production of
hemp in 1964.
This event did not in itself represent a major problem for the agricultural
industry, which turned to other cultivars, but it represented a catastrophe for
those artisans employed in the production of hemp fiber.
In 1933 the Italian government passed laws and set up provincial Consortiums to
safeguard the hemp industry. In 1953, all these Consortiums were eventually
concentrated into one, The National Consortium of Hemp Producers. Numerous and
major manifestations against this concentration on behalf of the producers did
not stop the course of this process.
The cultivation of hemp was abandoned: on the textile market this made way for
the new synthetic fibers, cheap and long lasting, and in agriculture for
innovative fruit cultivars.
By 1960 the Italian industry had lost all interest in hemp fiber, but recently
there seems to be a new found interest . Its come back would support an
agronomic culture which has only been dormant all this time, giving farmers the
possibility to integrate their income and to receive a cultivation grant which
has been inaccessible to them since 1980. It would also offer new opportunities
for agricultural contractors, who could mechanize every phase of the reaping
process. It would reduce import expenses of cellulose for the paper industry
which presently amount to 4.000 billion per year. A come back would stimulate
all connected industry, particularly the textile industry, considering the great
demand nowadays for natural, organic fibers.
Why is it then that hemp is not being cultivated on an industrial scale again?
Protectionism, which makes perfect sense on paper but a lot less practically, is
an obstacle for the Italian agricultural industry, an impediment for innovation
which would incentivize occupation and income
In the last few years, the Ferrarese countryside has had to face many problems
regarding fruit and sugar beet farming owing to market instability, atmospheric
adversities and pathologic phenomena of the soil and plants, this though has
never altered those qualities and characteristics that make it perfect for
growing prime quality hemp.
As well as textile fibers and paper products, from hemp we can also extract oils
and margarine for the food industry, technical products for paints, glues,
detergents, lubricants, soaps, construction materials such as insulating panels,
cement fibers, inert fillers, bedding for animal farming, horses, chickens,
turkeys, for laboratory animals and even more!
SOURCES:
Girolamo Baruffaldi, “Il Canapajo”, Libri VIII, bologna 1741
P. Ranalli, B. Casarini, “Canapa: Il ritorno di una coltura prestigiosa”, Avenue
media, bologna 1998
a cura di A. Tromellini, S. Pezzoli, S. Fronzoni, “Tra passione e professione”,
compositori, bologna 2001
R. Sitti, R. Roda, C. Ticchioni, “Il lavoro della Canapa nel Ferrarese”,
arstudio, ferrara 2004
Ufficio Informazioni Turistiche di Tresigallo, prof. Dante Sforza
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