Hemp farmers are eager to start producing and cultivating hemp and its products in Guyana as the government passed the ‘historic’ Industrial Hemp Bill on Monday night.
The National Assembly on Monday, without the presence of the Opposition, passed the ‘historic’ Industrial Hemp Bill, paving the way for the legal framework for the cultivation of hemp in Guyana.
Co-Chairman of Guyana Hemp Industries Michael Kirton, one of several companies that were pushing for the legalisation over the past few years, said, ‘It is a dream come true.’
“I must say today is the day that the PPP/C administration has made for Guyana with the legalisation of industrial hemp. It was in 2015 that I got involved in the hemp campaign, and it has been a long road. The highway to hemp production in Guyana has been long,” Kirton posited.
Kirton went on to say that even his friends doubted him and said that he would die before the cultivation of industrial hemp could become a reality in Guyana.
“But as I told Minister Mustapha last night, I live to see it pass […]. I’m so happy that I shed a lot of tears […]. I must pay tribute to MTV News Update for being very much supportive of our campaign over the years, and I will say I hope they will continue to help us as we go along in pushing the industry,” he continued.
Already, investors are looking to travel to Guyana to find suitable investments, and farmers are eager to commence cultivation.
Kirton has commended President Irfaan Ali, Minister of Agriculture Zulfikar Mustapha, Vice President Bharrat Jagdeo, and Attorney General Anil Nandlall for the work they have done.
Vice President Jagdeo has already indicated that hemp will be cultivated in Regions 6 and 10 as they look to create jobs and opportunities for persons in these areas.
Although the cultivation of hemp will be legal once the bill is assented to by President Ali, persons without a licence can be jailed or fined hundreds of thousands of dollars.
