Potential to improve the demand and agronomy of non-food crops

The scope for fibre crop production in the UK is huge, says Dr John French, managing director of the InCrops project.

Yet currently the UK supply chain for such crops is fragile and under-developed.

There is already demand for natural fibres from crops in the construction industry but other market opportunities for alternative and non-food crops including packaging, biolubricants, personal care products, functional foods, transportation fuels and biopharming are untapped.

The InCrops project wants to change that by developing and sharing technologies which may benefit the production and processing of crops like hemp, linseed and other alternative crops.

Project partners include NIAB, three universities, Rothamsted Research and the John Innes Centre.

Launched in September 2008 the project is funded until 2013 by the European Regional Development Fund and the East of England Development Agency (EEDA).

Speaking at the project’s Easton College open day, Dr French said in the early stages project partners were aiming to find answers to numerous questions: “What interventions are required to integrate the supply chain and avoid failure? Do we need investment, and if so in what?”

He and his colleagues are also looking at ways to add value to crops and processed products and aimed to identify where scientific input is most needed.

There was already demand for fibre crops in the construction industry, he said. “How do we translate demand into a viable crop production system? And apart from construction which are the key product sectors to focus on?

“How do we encourage growers to stay with fibre crops? InCrops is committed to assessing the development of the fibre crops sector in this region, but we need clarity take it forward.”

The project’s agri-business manager, Dr Carlos Gonzalez-Esquivel, joined the project earlier this year.

First task

His first task was to drill trial crops and demonstration plots at Easton College in Norfolk, including field-scale trials of hemp and linseed and a small plot of woad - trialling different varieties and crop densities - and organic demonstration plots of specialist high-value crops.

The purpose of the trials is to “develop the agronomy knowledge of alternative and non-food crops and to promote these crops to farmers, farmer associations and small and medium enterprises in the east of England for their commercial potential,” says InCrops.

It is hoped the trials will be expanded next year to include on-farm trials, explained Dr Gonzalez-Esquivel.

Roger Eyles of BA Eyles & Son, Northwold, Norfolk is in his sixth year of growing hemp and he agrees there are opportunities for growers.

“It will grow on most soil but it does not like stones and it is sensitive to csompaction. You drill and you roll, otherwise you will end up baling stones,” he said. Getting the crop off to a good start is essential, he said.

“I tend to drill on May 1 and it needs to grow fast otherwise weeds are a problem. You rely on crop density to keep the weeds down.”

Mr Eyles has grown the crop continuously on one field for five years, but generally uses it in his normal rotation.

“It gives the following wheat crop an early entry. We don’t use any pesticide on our hemp crops and only a small amount of fertiliser.” He harvests in August and yields average between 6.5 and 9 tonnes - but like all crops, success is at the mercy of the weather, he said.

“I can be the best farmer in the county but success still depends on the weather.”

He leaves the crop to ret in the field for two to three weeks and at this point a bit of rain doesn’t matter. “We leave the cut crop to go brown then turn it to expose the other side.”

The crop had proved popular with birds, particularly finches. But local people had also taken an interest in the tall crop and he has had problems with people driving cars through established crops.

Because the crop is a member of the cannabis family it has to be grown under licence and the local police force needs to be informed of where it is to be grown.

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