Processing facilities must come before industrial hemp cultivation – Pres Ali

While the Guyana Government is keen on building out a local hemp industry, President Dr Irfaan Ali has underscored the importance of having the necessary processing facilities in place before moving to advance cultivation. The Head of State made these remarks while engaging long-time advocate, Leon Saul, during a visit to Kuru Kuru on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway on Saturday afternoon to discuss developmental initiatives with residents. During their engagement, Saul enquired about the developments in the sector after the Industrial Hemp Bill was passed in the National Assembly some four years ago, paving the way for the decriminalisation of industrial hemp in Guyana. President Ali indicted that the Guyana Industrial Hemp Regulatory Authority has been established to oversee the advancement of the sector. In fact, he recalled previously discussing variety types and safeguarding the industry as well as plantations with Saul. But according to the Guyanese Leader, there needs to be the operators set up first before moving to planting crops. “So, the whole ecosystem we got to work on… The processing [facilities. In order to] get the oil, you got to get the companies. You got to get the right variety…[but also] the industry for the consumption,” the President stated.

Only back in May, Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha had indicated that several overseas companies have already expressed interest in investing in the industry, particularly in establishing a hemp processing facility in Guyana. “So what we are doing now…is that two regions were identified to plant hemp. Those two regions are Region Six and Region 10. We have an authority now in place. We have a CEO (Chief Executive Officer) in place. We already have some interests already been expressed by some companies overseas,” the Minister had noted.
Mustapha too had explained that large-scale cultivation cannot proceed until a processing facility is operational. To this end, he disclosed that the Government has already received several expressions of interest from potential investors and is hoping to move the process forward once a suitable company is selected.

Processing plant
“We are now in discussion with those companies to set up the processing plant. I am hoping that that can happen within another three to four months because you can’t plant hemp without a processing plant,” he had stated. Efforts to get an update from the Agriculture Minister on Sunday regarding those engagements with potential investors were futile. Nevertheless, the Guyana Government has committed to developing a high-value industrial hemp industry in the country.
To do this, the Industrial Hemp Bill was tabled in the National Assembly in May 2022, seeking to provide for the cultivation, manufacturing and research of industrial hemp and hemp-related products in Guyana. The legislation, which eventually passed in August 2022 and later assented to by the President, also provides for the establishment of the Guyana Industrial Hemp Regulatory Authority, which will regulate the industry. Industrial hemp is often confused with marijuana because both belong to the cannabis family. However, hemp contains significantly lower levels of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound responsible for the “high” associated with marijuana. Government officials have previously said the development of the industry could create opportunities in agriculture, manufacturing and exports while opening new economic avenues for farmers and investors.