17/11/2023
Malawi Cannabis Farming .
Hon Minister of Finance thank u for the presentation. In your speech you covered Cannabis Production to generate forex.
This i can't agree more . Our nation is blessed with cannabis and indeed there is potential. Am glad u have seen this window of opportunity . However our current cannabis business model championed by CRS won't bring that much needed forex . Let me highlight some challenges and suggest a solution
1. Cannabis has been defined as a farming for the elite hence exorbitant licence charges with very little public lecture on the subject matter . This school of thought is dangerous. Won't grow Malawi . Let us see cannabis as a replacement of To***co and developmental crop for all hence lower regulatory charges. Currently just meeting regulatory requirements costs is more expensive than actual production.
2. Cannabis Production has been implemented in the absence of MBS standards and cannabis Equipment for testing . This means that it is difficult to certify a local product with cannabis quantity . Let us first equip MBS with relevant spectrophotometers to achieve testing standards and equally develop standards for such. MBS currently has a gap in cannabis standards
3. To assist control abuse . Let us understand that when processing products from Cannabis, the first procedure is soaking in Ethanol for days for extraction and fibre for the leaves .Perhaps the To***co control Commission can plant 2 Ethanol plants where farmers would deliver extract then export in extraction form not actual leaves . Buyers out there will love importing in liquid and fibre forms
