MEDICINAL cannabis, mushrooms and cut flowers are among three alternative crops which could be grown successfully in the south of Scotland, a new report has said.
Farmers in the Borders and Dumfries and Galloway, diversifying from the traditional land uses of beef, sheep, arable and forestry, could also move into producing bark for tannin extraction, sugar beet or ancient cereals which have higher protein and fibre and less gluten, according to a report published by Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC).
It has been produced by Anna Sellars, a rural business consultant with SAC Consulting – which is part of SRUC – and Professor Dave Roberts, head of agriculture and business management in SRUC’s South and West Faculty.
The report highlights some of the key opportunities for alternative crops in the south of Scotland, including the availability and suitability of land, and the processing facilities and market conditions needed to foster their development.
Funded by the South of Scotland Economic Partnership (SOSEP) for the new South of Scotland Enterprise agency (SOSE), the study includes a set of 10 factsheets with advice for producers on novel crops with the most potential for successful growing and marketing.
It also provides decision support tools to help growers evaluate the potential market for alternative crops and the potential yield given their growing conditions, and links to existing technical and market information.
With post-Brexit trade arrangements challenging the status quo of current food supply chains, mushrooms, which have largely been produced in Europe, could instead be grown in Scotland.
Medicinal cannabis and opium poppies, whose seedpods contain codeine and morphine among other substances, both offer opportunities to expand pharmaceutical crop production in the UK, the report says.
It also says that while flowers such as roses, lilies, tulips, daffodils and sunflowers can be grown in the UK, 86% of cut flowers are imported.
Sellars said: “The full range of alternative crops is massive. From consultation with stakeholders, the project has selected a small number considered to be of most interest and potential for the south of Scotland, and in the report we provide an overview of the opportunities, steps for further development, and appraisals for each of the crops.”
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