RUTHENIA ALBA · Knowledge centre · Hemp
Industrial Hemp Cultivation in Poland – Guide
Fibre hemp is returning to Polish fields: 1,681 registered producers and approx. 2,171 ha in 2026, compared with 425 producers and 843 ha in 2022. This guide brings together in one place what is scattered across KOWR, ARiMR, IWNiRZ and advisory bodies: law, varieties, agronomy, harvesting, processing and market – with figures that have a source and a date.
Basics
What is fibre hemp?
Fibre hemp refers to varieties of sowing hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) with a THC content of up to 0.3 % of dry matter in the flowering or fruiting tops – this is the limit across the entire EU since 1 January 2023, adopted in Polish law by the amendment of 24 March 2022. The variety must appear in the Common Catalogue of Varieties (116 varieties in 2024 according to the European Commission).
One plant yields three raw materials: fibre (textiles, technical nonwovens, composites), shives – the woody part of the stalk (hemp concrete, insulation, bedding) and seed (oil, food, feed, sowing material). In addition, flower biomass for the cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries.
The Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction, after the 2022 amendment, permits growing fibre hemp, among others, for the textile, chemical, pulp and paper, food, cosmetics, pharmaceutical, building materials and energy industries, seed production, land reclamation, and scientific and research purposes.
Fibre, shives and seed go to different buyers, require different varieties, sowing rates and – above all – different harvesting technologies. The purpose of cultivation is the first decision; everything else follows from it.
Market
Poland: four times more growers, fewer buyers
Data from the KOWR fibre hemp register – the only official source on the scale of cultivation.
- 2020
First boom
The area exceeded 3,500 ha. According to IWNiRZ, it was driven by unclear regulations and promises of profit; inexperienced participants then crashed the market.
- 2022
New law, new register
From 7 May, the village head's permit is replaced by entry in the KOWR register. At year end: 425 producers, 31 buyers, approx. 843 ha.
- 2024
Growth
1,327 producers, 87 buying entities, 1,371.84 ha. Payment for hemp: PLN 125.32/ha.
- 2025
More farmers, fewer hectares
1,592 producers, 80 buyers, 1,146.78 ha (–225 ha year on year). Payment: PLN 168.99/ha. Henola approx. 550 ha.
- 2026
Record number of registrations
As of 31 July: 1,681 growers, 76 buyers, approx. 2,171 ha. Henola approx. 833 ha (40%). Leaders: lubelskie, warmińsko-mazurskie, kujawsko-pomorskie.
By comparison: in 2024 Germany harvested a record 7,116 ha, and in 2025 only 5,274 ha (–26%), according to BLE mainly because of uncertain sales. It is the same problem, just in a different part of the chain. In 2019 Lithuania had 9,182 ha. Poland has the soil, the climate and an institute with its own varieties; what is lacking is buyers and machinery.
Law
KOWR register instead of the mayor's permit
Amendment to the Act on Counteracting Drug Addiction of 24 March 2022 (Dz.U. 2022 item 763), in force from 7 May 2022; amendments of 3 July 2026 (Dz.U. 2026 item 1004) apply from 27 August 2026.
Przed siewem
You submit the application for entry in the register of fibre hemp to the director of the regional KOWR branch responsible for your place of residence or registered office, before starting cultivation (in person, by post, via ePUAP or eRolnik). Decision within 14 days; entry is open-ended.
30 PLN
State fee for entry as a producer. Purchasing entity: PLN 125. Attached to the application: purchase invoice for seed material of the elite or certified category and the label from the packaging.
30 dni
You have this long from 27.08.2026 (previously 14) to report each change in data: area, plots, variety, buyer. Financial penalty for failing to update: PLN 1,000; for obstructing inspection: PLN 10,000. KOWR inspects at least 10% of producers each year.
Do 1 ha
This is how much you may grow per year for your own needs without a contract with a buyer. The 2026 Act distinguishes “own needs” (no resale) from “processing on one's own account” (processed products may be sold). Otherwise: sale solely to a buyer from the register; buyers report contracts by the end of July.
Varieties and agronomy
Variety and seeding rate depend on the purpose
Recommendations of the Institute of Natural Fibres and Medicinal Plants, PIB (Hemp Programme), and WODR Poznań.
| Purpose of cultivation | Seeding rate | Varieties in Poland | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seed plantation (seed material) | 10–15 kg/ha | Henola, Białobrzeskie, Tygra, Rajan | IWNiRZ contracting; collection of the entire yield at a fixed price |
| Seed (oil, food) | 25–30 kg/ha | Henola, Finola | Henola: seed yield 1.5–2.1 t/ha (MRiRW); 12–15 dt/ha according to the IWNiRZ brochure |
| Textile fibre | 60–70 kg/ha | Białobrzeskie, Tygra, Futura 75 | Dense sowing = tall, weakly branched stems; harvest at flowering |
| Technical purposes (shives, biomass) | 40–50 kg/ha | Białobrzeskie, Futura 75 | Białobrzeskie: biomass up to 26.8 t/ha (MRiRW) |
Fertilisation (for fibre, IWNiRZ)
N 90–120 kg/ha, P₂O₅ 70–100 kg/ha, K₂O 150–180 kg/ha. Excess nitrogen worsens lodging and fibre quality. Kombinat Konopny (2026): approx. 100 kg N, pH ≥ 6.
Gleba i stanowisko
Hemp does poorly on acidic, waterlogged and wet soils. German processor Hanffaser Uckermark: on peat 10–12 t/ha of straw, on medium mineral soils 9–10 t/ha, on light soils 6–8 t/ha, on sands unprofitable.
Ochrona
A dense hemp stand suppresses weeds; in practice mechanical weed control is used. For the current list of plant protection products approved for hemp, use the MRiRW search tool; we do not quote recommendations from blogs.
Harvesting
Cutting hemp is the weakest link
Stem 1.5–3 m, woody, with fibre of high strength. What makes hemp a valuable raw material destroys ordinary machinery.
Fibre wraps around rotating parts: reels, conditioner rolls, threshing drum, baler pick-up. The farm press (Tygodnik Rolniczy, Farmer.pl) and advisers describe the same picture: combine blockages, frequent stops for cleaning, blunted knives. The technological answer is cutting the stem into 60–90 cm sections already in the field, guards on shafts and chains, smooth rolls and sharp, often sharpened knives.
For fibre, few series-built machines have been made in Europe; most are modifications by contractors that do not reach the market. Our line for long-fibre hemp is the CRETES hemp harvester (cutting at two heights, rows about 90 cm apart for long-fibre lines, up to 1.5 ha/h, tractor from 200 hp), the UNION tedder and baler, and the CRETES or Vanhauwaert decortication line: harvesting, retting, baling and processing from one engineering group. Beyond that, Poland has farmers' own adaptations, contractors' machines and mowers for panicles.
For seed, a grain combine works after adaptation: raised header (cutting approx. 1 m above ground), guards on shafts and belt pulleys, sharp knives, low drum and fan speeds; harvest when approx. 70% of seeds are mature and moisture is 15–18%, then drying to 8–9%. Two-phase harvesting gives lower seed losses than single-phase (WODR).
Secondary market
Used hemp machines are practically not traded in Europe: a few dozen series machines were built, and modifications belong to contractors who do not sell them. Whoever plans to harvest for fibre should plan it with the buyer and the line supplier at the same time. Harvesting, drying and decortication services in your area can be found on the hemp exchange.
Processing and market
Who buys and at what price
We quote prices as published by the entity that announced them, with the date. We do not forecast.
Straw: Poland
Purchase price PLN 300–350/t (agricultural press, 02.2026); Hemp King: PLN 340–420/t (historical). Kombinat Konopny (Elbląg, 2026): PLN 700–800/t for retted straw delivered to the plant, within a 50 km radius, plantations 10–50 ha.
Straw: Germany
Hemp fibre Uckermark (Prenzlau), 2025 harvest: 100 EUR/t unretted straw, 150–190 EUR/t retted (depending on mowing technology), base 12% moisture, stem ≤ 14 mm, bales in netting, delivery at the farmer's expense.
Nasiona
Sowing material under IWNiRZ contracting: Henola 12–16 zł/kg, Białobrzeskie 15–20 zł/kg (WODR, 01.2025). Consumption seed approx. 4 zł/kg (Hemp King). igrit.pl adverts 2026: Henola 6,700–7,300 zł/t.
Shives and fibre — Europe
Shives 200–450 EUR/t (HempToday, 2022; 2026 offers: 300–350 EUR/t with a minimum of 13 t). Technical fibre approx. 1,200 EUR/t (2022). CBD market after declines: isolate 180–350 EUR/kg (2025–26).
Fibre processors according to IWNiRZ: Lenkon (Stęszew — turbine, hackling, decortication), Green Farms (Hrubieszów), Podlaskie Konopie (Dobrzyniówka), Grupa Vox (Wałcz), Kombinat Konopny (Gronowo Górne near Elbląg). Seed and biomass buyers: Hemp King (Białystok), HempFarm (Wiekowice), NaturalCrop (organic cultivation), IWNiRZ Hemp Programme. The full list of 80 buying entities is in the KOWR register, but KOWR does not publish it — that is why we are collecting it on the exchange.
Economics
How much can be earned — two official answers
MRiRW/IWNiRZ calculation (2026), “sowing material + straw” model: 1,800 kg of seed × 13 zł = 23,400 zł revenue, costs approx. 11,400 zł/ha (seed, fertilisers, mowing, labour, machinery, drying, insurance, mechanical care), income approx. 12,000 zł/ha before subsidies. A cautious variant from the same institute: 5–6 thousand zł/ha from seed alone. Cultivation solely for straw is, according to IWNiRZ, “significantly less attractive economically”.
Buyer's view (Hemp King): 300–1,500 kg of seed and 6–15 t of straw per hectare, realistic profit 4–5 thousand zł/ha. Forsal.pl points out that 13 zł/kg is paid for qualified sowing material under contracting, not for commercial seed (approx. 4 zł/kg).
For comparison, ODR and farm chamber calculations 2025–2026: winter wheat — result around zero or negative even with subsidies (WIR, 08.2026: –660 to –747 zł/ha), rapeseed — from a few hundred to 3.8 thousand zł/ha depending on yield. Hemp grown for seed under contract compares better — provided there is a buyer and harvesting runs smoothly.
Questions
Most frequently asked questions
What is fibre hemp?
These are varieties of sowing hemp (Cannabis sativa L.) with a THC content not exceeding 0.3 % of dry matter in the flowering or fruiting tops, entered in the Common Catalogue of Varieties. They are grown for fibre, seed (oil, food, feed), shives (construction, bedding), biomass and research purposes.
Do you need a permit to grow fibre hemp?
Village head permits no longer exist. Since 7 May 2022, it is enough to be entered in the fibre hemp register kept by the director of the KOWR regional branch (competent for the place of residence or seat of the producer), submitted before sowing, with the purchase invoice for certified seed material and the label. Stamp duty PLN 30, decision within 14 days, entry is unlimited in time.
Which hemp variety for seed, and which for fibre?
For seed, Henola dominates in Poland (approx. 40 % of area in 2026) – an IWNiRZ variety with high seed yield; Finola is a low-growing oilseed variety. For fibre and dual-purpose cultivation – Białobrzeskie, Tygra, Futura 75. Rajan has been excluded from ARiMR payments since 2023.
How many hemp seeds to sow per hectare?
According to IWNiRZ (Hemp Programme): seed plantations 10–15 kg/ha, seed cultivation 25–30 kg/ha, textile fibre 60–70 kg/ha, technical purposes (shives, biomass) 40–50 kg/ha.
What is used to harvest fibre hemp?
Hemp is cut, not pulled up. For fibre – a hemp harvester cutting the stalk into 60–90 cm sections already in the field (in our range, the CRETES harvester), followed by a tedder and the UNION baler; for seed – a grain combine after adaptation (raised header, roller guards, sharp knives). Long fibre wraps around every rotating element – this is the main harvesting problem.
How much are hemp straw and seed paid?
Prices quoted by buyers and the farm press: straw PLN 300–420/t (Hemp King, agroprofil 2026); Kombinat Konopny PLN 700–800/t in 2026 for dew-retted straw delivered to Elbląg. Seed purchase price under IWNiRZ contracting (seed plantations): Henola PLN 12–16/kg, Białobrzeskie PLN 15–20/kg (WODR, 2024). Food seed approx. PLN 4/kg (Hemp King). Purchase of certified sowing seed: Henola PLN 60/kg (IWNiRZ, 04.2026), Futura 75 approx. PLN 52/kg (shop, 2026).
Sources
We give market prices with the entity that published them, with the publication date. We do not forecast prices, do not promise income per hectare and do not cite blogs as a source of figures.
Next
Hemp centre: checklists, exchange, machinery
Three printable checklists, adverts for raw material, machinery, services and land, an industry calendar — and a conversation about harvesting technology before you buy seed.