The Eastern Cape Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform will support Premier Oscar Mabuyane’s cannabis initiative.
This was announced by MEC Nomakhosazana Meth during the tabling of her budget policy speech in the Bhisho Legislature on Thursday.
She said she would be convening a cannabis stakeholder engagement within her first 100 days in office and this will include traditional leadership, farmers, researchers, institutions of higher learning and alternative medical practitioners.
MEC Meth said that these engagements will contribute to a policy on the development of cannabis in the province.
"The policy will amongst other [things] seek to achieve investment for commercial sustainability, to improve black farmers productivity and competitiveness to increase sector contribution to GDP, employment and food security."
MEC Meth said the policy is scheduled to be approved by the end of September 2019.
In an interview in June, Premier Mabuyane said discussions during last year’s Presidential Investment Conference in Johannesburg had opened his eyes to a possible lucrative industry in the province, particularly in the Pondoland area where locals have been growing and dealing in dagga for years.
He was quoted as saying that this was a huge industry which could turn around the economy of the Eastern Cape.
