Ukraine is restoring its textile industry: a hemp processing plant has been launched

16 May 19:29

Ukraine’s largest industrial hemp primary processing plant, Ma’Rizhany Hemp Company, has started operating in the Ma’Rizhany Industrial Park in Zhytomyr region. The plant, with a capacity of 14,000 tons per year, is located on the site of a former flax mill that was reconstructed and equipped with modern equipment, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports, citing information from the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.

More than $20 million was invested in the first phase of the project. The plant’s production area is 10,000 m², and the warehouse area is 10,800 m². The company employs 200 people, and in the future it is planned to create up to 700 jobs.

An industrial park is an area allocated for industrial development in the city planning process. The purpose of such parks is to provide enterprises with a common developed infrastructure and to ensure control over production and environmental impact.

Raw materials and products

In 2024, the company sowed 890 hectares of industrial hemp, and in 2025 it will plant 1,200 hectares, which is the largest area of hemp cultivation in Central and Eastern Europe. The plant produces long fiber for textiles and technical fabrics, short fiber for paper, nonwovens and insulation, and fescue as a raw material for bioplastics, building materials and animal bedding.

Strategic importance

The project is part of the government’s “Made in Ukraine” policy aimed at developing high-tech production and reducing dependence on imports. Industrial hemp is an environmentally friendly and renewable resource that can become the basis for the development of various industries, including textiles, construction and paper.

Restoration of primary processing of hemp trust is one of the key elements for the further revival of industrial hemp farming, which once made Ukraine a powerful player in the global textile market. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of having our own domestic raw materials, as they are the basis of price competitiveness. In addition, industrial hemp is not just a raw material for textiles, but an environmentally friendly and renewable resource for dozens of other industries,” said Andriy Mykytyv, the company’s director.

The company plans to expand production and launch the second stage, which will include the production of yarn and fabrics from hemp. The total investment in the project could reach $100-120 million.

Ma’rizhany Hemp Company LLC: key facts and figures

This is a Ukrainian agro-industrial startup implementing a large-scale project for the cultivation and processing of industrial hemp in the Zhytomyr region.

Basic information:

Date of registration: may 31, 2023
EDRPOU code: 45141248
Legal address: Zhytomyr region, Zhytomyr district, territorial community Khoroshivska, Complex of buildings and structures No. 18
Director: Andriy Mykytyv
Founder: LLC “Ma’Rizhany Holding”
Authorized capital: uAH 100,000

The company has restored a former flax mill in the village of Ryzhany, creating a modern industrial hemp processing facility.

Area of production facilities: 10 000 м²
Area of storage facilities: 10 800 м²
Processing capacity: 14,000 tons of trust per year.

“Ma’rizhany Hemp Company produces:

Long fiber: for the textile industry.
Short fiber: for paper, nonwovens, insulation.
Fescue: raw material for bioplastics, building materials, animal bedding.

What you need to know about the government’s “Made in Ukraine” policy

This is a government initiative aimed at developing domestic production, creating jobs, reducing import dependence, and stimulating exports of Ukrainian products.

Key policy objectives:

Reorientation of the economy from a raw material model to a processing and high-tech one.
Supporting local producers, in particular small and medium-sized businesses.
Industrialization of regions through the launch of industrial parks.
Increase the share of value-added goods in exports.
Key tools:
Benefits and preferences for residents of industrial parks.
State and international programs for financing investment projects.
Localization of production in public procurement.
Educational campaigns to popularize Ukrainian producers.

According to First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, this policy is part of the national economic idea: