France emerges as Europe’s dominant exporter of industrial hemp raw materials says FranceAgriMer sector overview

France has rapidly emerged as a major exporter of industrial hemp raw materials after decades in which most production stayed inside the country, according to a new sector overview from FranceAgriMer, the French government agency that monitors and analyzes the nation’s agricultural industries.

The shift marks a significant change for Europe’s largest hemp-producing country, which has historically operated as a largely self-contained processing system centered on fiber, hurd and seed.

Until the 2021-22 marketing year, French hemp exports were almost nonexistent, totaling just 415 metric tons, mainly to Canada. But export opportunities opened sharply beginning in 2022-23, with shipments rising to 47,950 metric tons in 2023-24 and holding at 47,765 metric tons in 2024-25. About 72% of exports now go to EU member states.

The numbers, in a recently released report, show France dominates as Europe’s upstream supplier for industrial hemp raw materials. While the sector still suffers from weak statistical tracking and fragmented reporting across the EU, it’s clear that France continues to consolidate its position at the center of the continent’s industrial hemp economy.

Production base

AgriMer claims France is the world’s second-largest producer of industrial hemp after China, and remains “far ahead” of Germany and the Netherlands, accounting for more than half of EU hemp fields.

France cultivated 22,600 hectares of hemp in 2024 through roughly 1,550 growers, with acreage doubling over the past decade. Production reached 140,000 metric tons of processed hemp straw and 11,000 metric tons of seed, according to the report. Seven processing plants are active, concentrated mainly across northern France.

FranceAgriMer’s ‘seed’ category combines both grain/food uses and certified planting seed, an area in which France is a major global supplier of industrial hemp genetics.

Outside France, reliable farming and export statistics for Europe remain fragmented.

Read more