Finally, a long discussion on industrial hemp occurred in CK13 in Novi Sad. We were honoured to meet Slobodan, one of the pioneers in hemp in the new era, currently the president of the Serbian Hemp Association.

Humanitarno Udruženje Konoplja – HUK is a Serbian HEMP association and they aim to bring back hemp industry and legalize medicinal cannabis in Serbia. Besides HUK, there is also cooperative Konoplja that supports farmers in administrative work and of course, individual farmers and producers.

Even though, as Slobodan would say “Hemp tolerates everything!”, the current situation in Serbia is not very supportive when it comes to hemp production. According to Slobodan, the country is losing a lot, because it could gain a lot from establishing a stimulative framework for hemp growing and hemp processing.

Hemp is a valuable raw materials for different industries, such as farmaceutic, food, paper, for soil remediation, fish farming and so forth.

If the state created a positive climate for the hemp industry, it would also create many new (green) jobs and opportunities. The association did present the potential and options to decision-makers at different levels, but there was no understanding yet. Time is passing, and with it opportunities and motivation.

The knowledge exists. There are still people who remember how it used to be, and there are people who can imagine how it could be. These two will meet and co-create an exceptional future if the framework established by the state is created by people who understand and care. This is a lesson for every Balkan country.

This study visit was realised thanks to the support of the European Heritage Hub pilot Project co-funded by the European Union and supported by the ALIPH Foundation.