<strong>Zimbabwe to Drive Research to Develop Domestic Hemp Varieties</strong>

The Zimbabwean government said it will boost research and eventually produce domestic hemp varieties as part of the country's efforts to increase income from a declining tobacco industry.

Hemp is a variety of the cannabis sativa plant that is grown specifically for industrial use, with low levels of THC, the psychoactive component found in marijuana. Hemp has a wide range of applications, including fiber production, food, oils, and health products.

The plant is among several special crops the government plans to promote, according to Frank Magama, CEO of the country's Tobacco Research Board (TRB), who said his agency is also looking into the potential of chia and stevia. The TRB will encourage Zimbabwe's state tobacco companies to adopt these plants as "economically sustainable alternatives to tobacco".

Tobacco accounts for about 20% of Zimbabwe's exports, but the contraction in the industry has contributed to the stagnation that has plagued the country's economy for nearly two decades, despite the country's vast wealth of natural resources.

Step by Step

Zimbabwe has shown steady progress with hemp over the past two years. Amended legislation earlier this year  removed industrial hemp from the country's list of dangerous drugs and set the dividing line between marijuana and hemp at 1.0%. This THC limit puts Zimbabwe at the forefront of nations around the world that have broken with the long-standing convention observed by most countries, which sets the THC limit for hemp at 0.3%.

Zimbabwe has opened the domestic market for CBD as a traditional herbal medicine in 2022, expanding on previous laws that only allowed for export. Hemp also has the potential to become a significant food crop in Zimbabwe. Although the government has said little about hemp seed foods, the market for such products is growing, and stakeholders in the country's hemp industry can explore this market domestically and through exports.

The government is providing more support to hemp industries through the Zimbabwe Industrial Hemp Trust (ZIHT), an initiative created to help farmers start hemp operations and explore export potential. Additionally, the Vision 2030 program identifies industrial hemp as a crop of interest, stating that it has the potential to increase agricultural profitability and rural development.

With information from Hemp Today