Malawi Hemp Association calls for legalization of industrial hemp

The Malawi Hemp Association, a hemp development organization in Malawi, is trying to persuade members of parliament to quickly enact legislation to facilitate and regulate the industrial hemp sector.

Jere, president of the association and director of operations for Ikaros Africa, a company that promotes the culture and processing of industrial hemp, said that Malawi was losing billions of kwacha in potential revenue. He added that industrial hemp represents the largest market with the potential to boost Malawi’s economy.

Jere has declared that the government of Malawi, in the absence of legislation, was delaying the issuance of the license that would allow the company to begin growing industrial hemp and processing its harvest into medicine. His company is currently conducting trials in the country, with an investment of more than 1.9 billion K € over three years (2.3 million euros), to assess the viability of cannabis cultivation. Ikaros Africa is working in particular with Invegrow, which received authorization in 2013 to conduct trials involving hemp, with the aim, among other things, of developing low-THC strains suitable for cultivation in the country's climate.

Grey Nyandule Phiri, chief secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation, and Water Development, said the government would establish the regulatory framework governing the cultivation and distribution of industrial hemp. She said, «No one has been issued a license. The government is prioritizing the regulatory framework, so everyone is waiting.».

According to her, the regulatory framework should be finalized by the end of this year.