Ecuador will have 3 types of hemp plantations

The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) expects to have ready by June 21, 2020 the regulation that will allow farmers to plant and grow hemp in Ecuador.

Ecuador will have 3 types of hemp plantations

This was indicated by the undersecretary of Agricultural Production, Andrés Luque , in the virtual forum on “Regulation and opportunities of hemp cultivation in Ecuador”, in which representatives of unions, associations, suppliers and businessmen interested in its use participated.

On December 24, 2019, the National Assembly decriminalized the cultivation and production of hemp with a content less than 1% of tetrahydrocannabinol ( THC ), which is the psychoactive component of cannabis.

The MAG is the competent body to issue the regulation regarding the reform so that the law comes into effect as of June 21.

The transitional provision provides the Ministry with 120 days to prepare the regulations . However, he confirmed his commitment to deliver it next month, to promote productive reconversion.

There are three types of plantations: industrial, open-pit and greenhouse.

The industrial hemp is a very rustic floor, with less than 1% THC, CBD low; their genetics are cheap ; in Spain it costs $ 80 per hectare. It is ideal for the coast, where the land is cheaper and more extensive. “It is an opportunity for reconversion of crops such as sugar cane,” said Luque.

The industrial uses of this variety are thousands: highly resistant textiles , seeds and oils rich in fats for animal balances, ecological fuels , lubricants and bioplastics , bio-construction materials , cellulose for paper , among others.

For medicinal use, there is a phenotypic very similar to psychoactive cannabis (marijuana), with less than 1% THC, but with a CBD ranging from 10% to 25%, it is an expensive genetics, $ 1 per seed. “This crop can be in the open or in the greenhouse.”

In the open sky it is used for biomass, oil extraction. Densities of 2,000 to 5,000 plants per hectare are used. And the greenhouse is the CBD flower that is used to make flower extracts.

These oil extracts are intended for the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, depending on the type of plantation that is made. It has important impacts in the health area , in diseases such as epilepsy or neurodegenerative diseases : Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammatory diseases , among others.

In the cosmetic industry it is used to make shampoo, soaps, creams, among others.

According to what Luque explained, production cycles are longer in the Sierra and shorter on the Coast.

In Ecuador , a productive , not speculative, regulation will be promoted , where the MAG will provide licenses and control from planting to raw material. “The regulations are strict and self-cultivation will not be allowed in homes,” he assured.

Luque also added that as MAG they will have competition from the import of seeds to the production of oil; “In other words, the entire agro-industrial process , which will allow for faster procedures.”

The opportunities for Ecuador are to have access to more labor and reconversion of crops . It adapts to various areas of the country with four annual cycles.

Cocoa farmers will analyze the crisis in the sector

On May 27 and 28, 2020 the Cacao and Chocolate Summit will be held , an event organized by the private company in coordination with the public sector, where different actors linked to the production chain of the sector are found.

The first edition was held in May 2019; this time due to the health emergency by the covid-19 different talks and conferences will be developed virtually.

The main point of the debate will be how to combat the crisis in the cocoa sector caused by the presence of covid-19 in the producing countries of Latin America.

The event is carried out thanks to the joint work between Conexión Chocolate, the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG), Rikolto and various cooperating entities.

At the conference start will participate Minister of Agriculture and Livestock of Ecuador, Xavier Lazo , accompanied by the president of the International Organization of Cocoa (ICCO), Michel Arion , and the representative of the United States Department of Agriculture, Kristen Luxbacher.

The MAG will have the participation of the manager of the Coffee and Cacao Project, Patricio Rubio , who will have a discussion on “Best practices to face the crisis in the cocoa sector”.

The registration can be done in www.cacaoandchocolatesummit.com /. ( I )