Mauritius to launch industrial hemp pilot project

The decision was made in August. The Republic of Mauritius will authorize the cultivation of industrial hemp as a pilot project. The project will be overseen by the Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (FAREI) and the Ministry of Agro-Industry.

For this initial trial, 5 kilograms of three varieties of industrial hemp containing -0.3% of THC will be imported and planted. However, little information has been released about how these test crops will be used. Local activists are also pointing to the lack of transparency surrounding the project.

«But where will these seeds come from? How will industrial hemp be grown? And, above all, by whom? Who will be granted the permits? Aside from sugarcane growers, will new farmers have a chance?», asks Amrish Lachooa, spokesperson for Cannabis Legalization and the Advocacy Movement (CLAIM). According to him, the seeds could come from Nepal, India, or even Réunion Island, where a pilot project to grow hemp also began 2 years ago.

However, various stakeholders are already keeping a close eye on the opportunities surrounding hemp cultivation: manufacturing of insulated building bricks, production of biofuels, textiles, animal feed, and bedding for horses and small animals, alternatives to plastic, among other things, or a means of regenerating soil.

«In Réunion, it is governed by agricultural law,», entrusts Percy Yip Tong, a founding member of the Collectif Urgence Toxida (CUT). «It’s a plant that’s sold to make other products. It’s based on European laws. This model should be replicated in Mauritius,» he says.

Kunal Naik, a psychologist specializing in addiction, welcomes this development. «This is extremely positive, because it’s a way to tap into a promising sector in these times. Hemp is not psychoactive and has the potential to become a job-creating industry. Our infrastructure for the sugarcane sector can be easily converted. I hope this move is a first step toward a new drug policy, such as the long-term authorization of medical cannabis. We need reforms, not repressive laws,» emphasizes Kunal Naik.