Durban - Coastal fields that once produced more sugar than they do now could be planted with hemp for export products that could bring the rand back to a healthier exchange value.
Krithi Thaver, founder of the lobby group Canna Culture SA, this week addressed cannabis growers organising themselves into an industry association, the Cannabis Development Council of South Africa (CDCSA).
“New research says we can grow hemp (a cannabis variant) on a large scale,” Thaver said. “The sugar industry is selling off sugar farms on the South Coast and the North Coast as sugar is being imported from Brazil. So here’s the solution.”
He said hemp products could include animal food and fibre for clothes and shoes. “The plant can also offer biofuel.”
He said the CDCSA aimed to destigmatise the plant so that people understood it was “not just about smoking it”.
“Creating this industry association also opens up a platform for the industry.”
Many independent growers produce cannabis products for medicinal purposes and continue to operate underground ahead of full legalisation.