Embrapa presents plan for cultivation and research with cannabis in Brazil
Report proposes strategic actions for the development of the plant's productive chain in the country
Published on 07/18/2024
The Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) is a public company linked to the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (Mapa) | Image: Canva
This month, the Cannabis Working Group (GT) of the Brazilian Agricultural Research Corporation (Embrapa) presented its final report to the Research and Innovation Directorate. The document, which will be the basis for an official cultivation request for research, aims to enable actions for genetic improvement and plant management for cultivation in Brazil.
The GT's proposal is to develop integrated research axes, supporting the creation of a robust and sustainable cannabis productive chain in the country. The material highlights that Brazil has great climatic, technological, and business capacity to produce the plant on a large scale, and that Embrapa can enhance its medicinal, industrial, and agronomic applications.
The group worked over seven months, with the collaboration of 19 company researchers, under the coordination of agronomist Fábio Macedo. The team investigated various botanical and agronomic aspects of the plant, the regulatory and economic situation of the main global markets, and the growth prospects of the commodity.
The study supported the creation of a 12-year research program, distributed in four main axes: development of cultivars, management practices, post-harvest, and public policies. The goal is to develop genetics and cultivation techniques suitable for each possible application of the plant, with a special focus on decentralizing production, aiming to increase the income of rural families and the resulting social gains.
“Cannabis is an extremely versatile species that, in addition to medicinal and agricultural applications, has excellent potential for recovering degraded soils and for use in crop rotation. Besides the possibility of monetization through carbon offsetting”, says Daniela Bittencourt, a researcher at Embrapa Genetic Resources and Biotechnology, who led the research program creation. The researcher emphasizes, however, that the material is for exclusive use by Embrapa.
The next step for the working group is to present the report to the executive board of the organization and submit the authorization request for research, marking a significant advancement in exploring the potential of Cannabis in Brazil.
With information from Instituto Ficus
