About IHA · हमारे बारे में

The Story Behind
India's Hemp Revolution

भारत की भांग क्रांति की कहानी

A family's conviction. Nearly a decade of advocacy. And now, a renewed platform to build the network and policy environment India's hemp sector needs.

Our Origin · हमारी शुरुआत

From Europe to
India's Green Future

यूरोप से भारत के हरित भविष्य तक

In the early 2010s, a young Gurugram entrepreneur and yoga instructor named Shantanu Mishra was travelling in Europe. He came across the extraordinary industrial potential of hemp — a plant India had cultivated for millennia and then largely abandoned due to policy confusion.

He returned to India with a mission. In 2016, together with his mother Mrs. Padma Mishra, he founded the Indian Hemp Association — with a simple but audacious goal: to make India a global leader in industrial hemp.

What began as advocacy for farmers became something far larger — a deep-tech vision spanning nanotechnology, graphene production, green hydrogen, bio-ammonia, and biodiesel. Today IHA's work reaches across the full breadth of its focus areas — from established industrial hemp, construction and textiles to the emerging deep-tech directions it is actively developing.

"With PM Modi's help, we can not only double but triple farmers' income through hemp."
— Shantanu Mishra · India Today, 2018
IHA has been the strongest campaigner for establishing a legal hemp industry in India, making representations to state governments, law enforcement agencies, and Union ministries.
IHA Timeline · समयरेखा

Nine Years of Building India's Hemp Future

16
2016
Indian Hemp Association Founded
Shantanu Mishra and Mrs. Padma Mishra establish IHA in Gurugram with the vision of making India a global hemp leader.
17
2017–2018
Uttarakhand Hemp Policy — Historic Win
Shantanu Mishra served as Advisor to the committee that formulated Uttarakhand's landmark hemp policy — India's first state to create a legal framework for industrial hemp cultivation. IHA featured in India Today.
20
2020–2023
Deep-Tech Vision Expands
IHA expands beyond traditional hemp into nanotechnology, graphene, green hydrogen, and biodiesel — broadening its work across India's industrial hemp and green-technology sector.
25
2025 — Now
IHA 2.0 — New Website, New Focus Areas, Expanded Network
IHA Secretariat strengthened under Shri Balendu Sekhar Mishra. New website launches with nine focus areas. 9 membership tiers open. 25 Swarna founding seats available. IHA enters the next phase.
Leadership · नेतृत्व

Founders & Leadership

संस्थापक और नेतृत्व दल
Shantanu Mishra, Founder & President
Shantanu Mishra
Founder & President
After researching hemp and green technology across the world, Shantanu Mishra returned to India and became one of the first people to bring industrial hemp directly to government — initiating meetings with ministers and officials and helping put a legal hemp industry on the national agenda. He served as Advisor during the drafting of Uttarakhand's landmark industrial hemp policy — the first in any Indian state. Featured in India Today. He founded IHA in 2016 to build the infrastructure, network, and policy environment for a credible Indian hemp industry.
"There are a lot of people who want to come to India and research hemp. India needs to prioritise researching the benefits of cannabis. China grows hemp on over 70,000 hectares — India can and must build a serious industrial hemp sector."
Mrs. Padma Mishra, Co-founder
Mrs. Padma Mishra
Co-founder
Co-founded IHA alongside her son Shantanu in 2016, making IHA one of India's rare multigenerational family-led advocacy organisations. Featured in India Today's landmark Canna-Biz article, holding a hemp fibre briefcase — one of IHA's most iconic media moments. A passionate believer in hemp's potential to transform Indian agriculture and manufacturing, she has been central to IHA's community outreach and stakeholder engagement since the beginning.
"Children should be told about the benefits of hemp. It is not just a plant — it is India's future."
Secretariat & Administration · सचिव
Shri Balendu Sekhar Mishra, Secretary
Shri Balendu Sekhar Mishra
Secretary — IHA
Shri Balendu Sekhar Mishra serves as Secretary of the Indian Hemp Association, managing the association's day-to-day affairs, member dealings, educational outreach programmes, and engagement with government bodies and official institutions. His administrative leadership ensures that IHA's policy advocacy, regulatory interactions, and stakeholder communications are conducted with rigour and continuity.