A company from Bijelo Polje PB agro intends to build a factory for the production of industrial hemp and hemp products five kilometers from the city, in the village of Šumane in Pljevlja, right next to the Pljevlja-Đurđevića Tara road.
The factory would be built on land previously purchased by that company, and it recently submitted a request for a decision on the need to prepare an environmental impact assessment report for the construction of that facility. As stated in the documentation accompanying the request, the facility will have a total of 242 m2.
The plant would process several industrial hemp products, the main ones being industrial hemp flower and leaf tea and industrial hemp flower drops. The technology of processing industrial hemp is a completely ecologically clean closed cycle, without side products, because each part of hemp is used for different products, of which there are more than 5,000 on the list of the European Union – the request states.
The flower and leaf of industrial hemp are harvested by hand in the field. The flower is dried in natural conditions and a certain temperature regime in greenhouses in the field where it was harvested. After drying, the flower is separated from the stem, which is done in the same greenhouses. A clean flower is obtained, which is packed in paper sacks and transported to the factory, where it is weighed and manually packed in appropriate packaging and then sold. During the production of industrial hemp drops, the pure flower is boiled in an electric boiler to obtain industrial hemp drops, which are then packaged in bottles and sold – the documentation states.
The processor of the document claims that the construction and operation of the factory will not have major impacts on the environment, and that there is no need to undertake a greater number of protection measures.
Bearing in mind the activity of the facility, during its operation no chemical and other substances will be deposited that could affect soil and groundwater pollution… The project will not lead to major social changes in terms of demographics and traditional way of life, although it will a certain number of people work during the functioning. There may be an increase in the workforce, with the functioning of the facility. The facility will have a certain impact on the existing communal infrastructure, as there will be an increase in water and electricity consumption, as well as an increase in traffic flow and the amount of communal waste. Given that the building is being built, the topography of the surrounding area will be partially changed. However, it is a one-story building, so it will not stand out much from the other nearby buildings in terms of height.
Industrial hemp is an annual plant, which contains less than 0.3% of the psychoactive substance THC, and which is sown between April and May. With just one hectare, hemp can produce as much fiber as four hectares of forest or two hectares of cotton. With hemp, all parts of the plant are used – stem, flower, leaf, fruit, and even the root.
In the world, hemp is grown for different purposes. Over 20,000 products are made from industrial hemp. It is significant both in the paper industry, textile, food and pharmaceutical industry, as well as in cosmetics, construction and environmental protection. The use of hemp In industry is expanding incredibly fast, in the production of paper, bio-composite materials for the automotive industry, the construction industry, and biodegradable plastics.
