The legalization of industrial hemp in Malawi
June 16, 2016 the Parliament adopted a decision according to which the Government of Malawi should legalize industrial use of industrial hemp at the legislative level.
According to the Parliament Speaker Richard Msovoyya "Technical hemp is to be recognized as a common crop used for industrial purposes. In distinction malonarkoticheskih varieties used for technical purposes and psychoactive cannabisa should be enshrined legislative level. "
In Parliament, as well as the executive branch of the country debate over legalizing industrial hemp cultivation continued for quite a long time. In considering legalizing been argued both for the immediate development of konoplevodstva and against.
Arguments in favor of an immediate insertion of financial resources to the development of konoplevodstva
According to the agricultural market experts, technical hemp is the answer to many of the economic problems facing the countries of the African continent. Investing financial resources in industrial hemp as an alternative to such traditional country crops like tobacco or barley will make it possible to create a high-performance alternative market crop, providing an opportunity to the rapid growth of the economy of Malawi.
1. Cannabis - a renewable resource. Given the volumes produced per 1 hectare acreage crop, the plant is one of the most effective means of use of arable land for agricultural purposes.
2. Huge range of applications. It is a plant for thousands of years has been used for the manufacture of paper, textiles, twisted products, food products, clothing, biofuels, building materials, as a cosmetic and pharmacological preparations. According to specialists of industrial hemp in the 30-s of the last century to produce more than 25,000 different articles and products.
3. Reducing the number of crimes related to illicit trafficking in marijuana. The experience of countries that legalized the cultivation of industrial hemp cultivation technology shows that in these countries the number of crimes related to the illegal use of marijuana is not increased after the legalization of cannabis cultivation malonarkoticheskoy and mostly decreased.
4. Alternative to eliminate the effects of climate change. Climate change is already in a very short period of time will lead to disastrous consequences in Africa, and industrial crops beznarkoticheskogo cannabisa represent an alternative to eliminate the consequences of the deteriorating environmental conditions. Malonarkoticheskaya cannabis helps reduce deforestation, reduce carbon emissions and air pollution, as well as one of the best biological fitoremediantov.
5. Positive impact on environmental policy in the region. Made of hemp products or products can be recycled, reused and 100% biodegradable.
6. An alternative source of raw materials. Malonarkoticheskaya hemp can provide a sufficient amount of raw material for paper and construction industries, as well as to a large extent replaced mineral resources that produce the necessary energy for the country.
Fears Malawian Entrepreneurs
Despite the fact that Malawi needs of industrial crops industrial hemp, and this plant gives great opportunities for the rapid development of the country's agricultural market and processing industries that use hemp products, primarily from the Malawian business there are a number of concerns, constraints insertion of financial resources in this sector the country's agriculture.
1. Lack of self-seed. It is conditional on the country's hemp industry from breeding companies outside of the African continent. That is why the country's agricultural businesses first need to solve the problem of creating or acquiring its own breeding material or creating seed konoplevodstva base so that this highly profitable agricultural industry is not dependent on this issue from the external factors.
2. Finding one's place in the global hemp market. What is the area of Malawi will compete in the hemp market with such economically developed countries as Canada, Great Britain, France, Germany, Spain and China. This issue requires serious marketing research, which at the moment the state structure of the country can not provide.
Comment of the Association "Ukrainian industrial hemp"
Malawi's economy is based on agriculture - 90% of employees, 35% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. The country has traditionally cultivated tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, corn, potatoes, cassava (tapioca), sorghum. Given the significant decrease in demand for traditional consumers of agricultural products grown in the country (especially in the raw tobacco), before the state and commercial structures is an issue of replacing gradually tapering agricultural market. It is in partial replacement of traditional crops to alternative agricultural crops (primarily technical hemp), see an opportunity to state officials and businessmen of the country, not only to compensate the losses of the budget, but also to give new impetus to the development of Malawi's economy.
Information taken from the site http://tku.org.ua