In a quest to grow the cannabis industry in KwaZulu-Natal, the provincial government has sealed a public-private partnership with Opulence Pharmaceuticals, marking a milestone that will yield exponential growth and transform the lives of local producers.
The KwaZulu-Natal department of agriculture and rural development in collaboration with the department of economic development, tourism and environmental affairs will be working with the cannabis giant on a skills and knowledge transfer programme.
Farmers will receive continuous training and essential skills on cannabis production and they will also be linked to the market and be prepared for exports.
Creating a sustainable cannabis industry
Opulence Pharmaceuticals chief executive officer Duran Govender said the recent visit by MECs Super Zuma and Siboniso Duma to the processing plant was another manifestation of the very strong and bilateral relations in the province between the government and the business sector.
He pledged solidarity with the government and mutual respect for a better KwaZulu-Natal and South Africa.
“Opulence Pharmaceuticals is a leader of cannabis in our country and being a black youth privately owned company in our province, we are excited to empower and educate our local emerging farmers with knowledge that we have gained through trial and error that has led us to perfect this sector.
“Our vision as a company and as a government is to create sustainable jobs and to also control the entire value chain, in both industrial hemp and medicinal cannabis,” he said.
Govender said they want to capitalise on the fact that the province has some of the best sunlight in the world and vast amounts of land that has fertile soil for agriculture.
“We look forward to building a strong foundation based on job creation & empowerment of our people through cannabis and hemp,” said Govender.
Breaking new territory
Meanwhile, Duma said he took pride in knowing that the processing plant was established by an African for Africans. “In the past, Africans were being punished severely for cannabis and our parents could not trade.
“People were killed defending the sovereignty of this herb but now our people are receiving licenses and permits. It is the province’s vision to have at least 6 processing plants,” he said.
Zuma said such engagements between private and public entities were part of a giant leap already taken by black businesses to take full advantage of the opportunities presented by the niche cannabis industry.
“This establishment is premised on the utilisation of technology to enhance the production of medicinal cannabis. This is a proud moment for the sector and the province at large.
“When we committed to traverse this new territory, we were aware of its economic importance and its potential to grow the economy of KZN. Other sources are already predicting that the industry could be worth over R107 billion, it’s therefore an attractive investment option to help the government to clinically address the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality,” he said.
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