EC government grants cannabis hemp production permits
A dozen farmers in the Eastern Cape have been issued permits by government for hemp production, according to rural development spokesperson Ayongezwa Lungisa.
This comes as news broke earlier this month that a farm in Stellenbosch had been granted the first licence for a commercial cannabis farm by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA).
SAHPRA acting CEO and chief regulatory officer Portia Nkambule has, however, come out to say the current legislation did not permit the body to issue licenses for the cultivation of cannabis for non-medicinal commercial purposes, including for food supplements.
“The mandate of the regulatory authority is to issue licences for the cultivation of cannabis solely for medicinal research purposes.
“The process to obtain a licence from SAHPRA to cultivate cannabis for medical research purposes is a rigorous one. There needs to be standardisation of the cannabis cultivars and assurance that crops can be grown in conditions of strict security.
“The cultivation of cannabis for medicinal research purposes has to be strictly controlled as SA is a signatory to the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB),” Nkambule said.
Out of about 100 applications, SAHPRA has recommended five farms be considered.
Lungisa said black farmers had shown a lot of interest in cannabis farming.
“The provincial government is in the process of developing awareness and information sessions that will be done at district level and also in local municipalities.
“The Eastern Cape government is doing all it can to ensure the province leads in cannabis production.
“During a DRDAR (department of rural development and agrarian reform) strategic planning session held towards the end of September, cannabis production had a separate commission that looked into strategies of assisting farmers to produce cannabis in the province and also leverage other support from other governments, investors and businesses,” he said.
It is estimated that by 2023, the South African domestic market for cannabis will be worth about R27bn, according to pro-dagga US consultancy Prohibition Partners.
A delegation of mayors and MECs from the province will be touring Canada to learn about cannabis farming.
Canada legalised cannabis in October 2018.
Recruitment and training site Cannabis at Work reported that 125,000 new jobs could be created in Canada.
Speaking on the Canada trip, Lungisa said the provincial delegation was heading overseas to seek assistance from the Canadian government, investors and business on the development of the cannabis industry.
They left on Friday. “Canada is one of the leading countries in the world on the utilisation of cannabis products and has shown interest in the Eastern Cape Province.
The SA market will be worth R27bn