The National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC) has issued 3,029 licenses since the beginning of 2024, a notable increase from the 721 licenses issued in 2023.
Under Law 13-21 which governs the legal use of cannabis, the licenses include 2,837 for cannabis cultivation and production benefiting 2,659 farmers, compared to 430 licenses last year. 192 licenses have been granted to 98 operators, up from 291 permits for 138 operators in 2023.
The 192 licenses cover 60 for transformation, 49 for commercialization, 39 for export, 24 for seed importation, 18 for transport, one for seed export, and one for nursery operations.
ANRAC has certified 7.3 million cannabis seeds based on 26 import licenses issued by the National Office of Food Safety (ONSSA), covering 1,164 hectares for 100 cooperatives and 1,520 farmers.
The agency has approved using 1,634 quintals of the local “Beldia” seeds, granted through 106 licenses from ONSSA, for 1,916 hectares involving 106 cooperatives and 1,816 farmers.
The Beldia variety has been authorized for use on 1,916 hectares in 2024, following preliminary results from a study with the National Institute of Agronomic Research (INRA).
ANRAC, in coordination with ONSSA, has established specific conditions to regulate the use of this variety. The conditions include requiring cooperatives to submit requests for Beldia seeds, maintain traceability registers, and ensure operators purchase all production and contract with pharmaceutical industries to handle extracts with THC content of 1% or higher.
Operators must also destroy any extracts with THC levels above 1% if contractual obligations are not met, and provide ANRAC with laboratory results confirming that THC content in processed Beldia production is below 1%.