Malawi Hemp Association for speedy legislation to govern sector

The Malawi Hemp Association has persuaded members of parliament in the committee of Industry, Trade and Tourism to press for speedy formulation an enactment of legislation to govern the industrial hemp sector.

The association led by its chairperson Chauncy Mopho Jere engaged the committee of parliament at Parliament Building in Lilongwe.

The meeting held on Wednesday was also attended by officials from Malawi Revenue Authority (MRA), Malawi Bureau of Standards (MBS) and Malawi Investment and Trade Centre.

Jere, who is also country operations director for Ikaros Africa, the company that promotes growing and processing industrial hemp, said Malawi is losing billions of kwacha in potential revenue.

He said industrial hemp has the biggest market that can boost Malawi economy.

Jere said Malawi Government was delaying the licence to enable his firm begin growing industrial hemp and process the crop into medicinal products with the absence of the legislation.

He said his company has been conducting trials in the country – with an investment of over K1.9 billion in three years -to assess the viability of growing cannabis.

This week Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Water Development Principal Secretary Grey Nyandule Phiri said government will put in place the regulatory framework to govern growth and use of the industrial cannabis.

Said Nyandule Phiri: “No one has been given the licence. Government is putting the regulatory framework first, so everybody is waiting for that.”

He said the regulatory framework is expected to be finalised by the end of this year.

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