Newly listed Dutch variety shows potential to challenge Europe’s fiber hemp incumbents

A new hemp variety approved in the EU could eventually challenge Europe’s leading legacy fiber cultivars. Carmanecta, developed by the Dutch-Italian genetics specialist Enecta, outpaced several leading European varieties in height and yield, according to trials that are part of the EU plant approval process.

Carmanecta was approved for inclusion in the Dutch national catalog this week, triggering a listing at the EU level, and clearing the way for the seed to be marketed for cultivation across the bloc.

Jacopo Paolini, Enecta’s founder, said Carmanecta planting seeds be available in two years, for the 2028 growing season.

Impressive performance

In the trials, Carmanecta posted an estimated dry biomass yield of about 16.9 tons per hectare, slightly ahead of a trio of French varieties and one Ukrainian variety against which it was compared.

Carmanecta could also outpace historic Italian fiber varieties, including Carmagnola, long considered Italy’s flagship fiber hemp cultivar.

Commercial relevance

The performance indicators come from a Dutch VCU (Value for Cultivation and Use) trial, part of the official European system used to evaluate new hemp varieties. VCU testing is generally required before a cultivar can be approved for a national list or the EU plant catalog. In the Netherlands, registration and VCU oversight is through the Dutch board for plant varieties (Raad voor Plantenrassen).

For fiber processors and growers, a listing in the EU catalog determines which genetics can be scaled commercially and traded across borders, shaping the raw material base for Europe’s developing hemp fiber economy.

Moving forward

Carmanecta’s approval comes after Enecta suffered a crippling blow in 2025, when the Italian government shut down the company’s CBD e-commerce website without warning.

“It is an important milestone for us, especially considering everything that has happened over the past year,” Paolini said of the Carmanecta breakthrough.

“We are still in the recovery phase after the shutdown and the economic damage we suffered, and we can definitely still feel the impact,” he said. “That said, we are doing our very best to move forward step by step.”

STANDING TALL: Key indicators for several leading European fiber hemp varieties in plant height and tons per hectare of dry mass yield. Industrial hemp yields vary widely depending on local factors such as soil quality, rainfall, temperature, and day-length conditions, which differ substantially between northern Europe and more southern production zones.

SOURCES: Raad voor Plantenrassen; CREA; Polish Hemp Program