Over 70 Registered Businesses waiting on Government to pass LI on cultivation, export and processing of Industrial hemp in Ghana
Many Ghanaians including over 70 registered businesses would have a certain relief if a Legislative Instrument (LI) is introduced to Parliament by the Ministry of Interior for the passage of a law that would guide the Narcotics Control Commission Act, 2020, Act 1019 on a licensing regime to cater for cultivation, export, import of seeds, experimentation, breeding, research and processing of industrial hemp, otherwise known as Cannabis Sativa, in Ghana.
So far investigations reveal that Hempire Association of Ghana, made up of yet-to-be growers of industrial hemp, has undergone some capacity building training and is ready to kick start Ghana’s industrial revolution which would make hemp a major trading commodity for the country’s foreign exchange.
Some of the registered businesses include the Hempire Agric Ghana Ltd which intends to trade with the name ‘Hemp Agric Ghana’ and whose management has supervised some of the capacity building workshop on methods of farming and knowledge on aspects of the Narcotics Act which recently got passed by Parliament.
Advanced countries such as China is one of the largest exporters of industrial hemp to the US. Canada, Netherlands, Israel and a host of advanced countries in Europe have passed various legislations for the recreational use of marijuana and have began reaping the benefits of cannabis revenue . A State like Arizona in US within 10 days racked nearly USD $3million as taxes from recreational adult-use of cannabis when it began issuing license on 22nd January 2021.
Morocco has drafted a law for the recreational use of cannabis early this month and is yet to see approval. This reveals a global pattern of commercial interest in cannabis leading to various legislative reforms as well as the release of convicts in jail for possessing marijuana.
It is established that the global industrial hemp market stood at USD $4.7 billion in 2019 and is expected to grow by 15.87% of a Compound Annual Growth Rate till 2027. The emerging market is driven by a growing demand for fibers in automotive, construction, food and beverage, personal care and textile industries especially in emerging regions like Pacific Asia and Africa. This has made countries like Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda to enter into various forms of agreements to export industrial hemp with less than 0.3% THC.
Ghana is expected to earn from this upcoming industry and would lead to some formalization of the sub-agricultural sector. However, since the LI hasn’t been passed many businesses would have to be on the wait. Now that the Narcotics Control Board has now been turned into a commission, it is expected that more resources would be required to regulate this emerging sector and that would also help to streamline the sector.
