After a long wait, the purely Moroccan cannabis variety, known as “Beldia”, recently received the green light from ANRAC to be legally cultivated, under strict control, in the Al Hoceima region.
This is a first step to regularize the production of this plant, the subject of significant flows of drug trafficking.
The first harvest of cannabis legally cultivated under the control of the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC) reached, 2023, 294 tonnes in the authorized regions of Chefchaouen, Taounate, and Al Hoceima, reports La Razón citing the site The360. This quantity is still very far from that which is illegally trafficked to Europe, which some sources estimate at more than 2,000 tonnes, he says.
After its creation in 2022, indicates the cited source, the first harvest of legal cannabis in 2023, under the aegis of the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis Activities (ANRAC), totaled 294 tonnes, with an average production oscillating between 10 and 27 quintals per hectare. ANRAC, created under Law No. 13-21, is responsible for implementing the State strategy in the field of cultivation, production, processing, marketing, and export of this plant.
Production for the year 2023 is the result of a controlled ecosystem bringing together producers, cooperatives, and processors, all acting under the supervision and directives of ANRAC. In general, plowing for imported seeds begins in April and cannabis harvests take place in August of the same year, while for the local plant called “Beldia”, native to the region, sowing begins in February, for harvests carried out in July of the same period.
After a long wait, the purely Moroccan cannabis variety, known as “Beldia”, recently received the green light from ANRAC to be legally cultivated, under strict control, in the Al Hoceima region. Recognized for its uniqueness and the therapeutic virtues of its derivatives, “Beldia” has been authorized for industrial use in the cosmetic or pharmaceutical sector.
In a recent interview with Le360, the promoters of a legal project to cultivate this plant said that they plan to implement their initiative soon in Kétama, near Alhucemas. This project is led by an expert in the field, Abdellatif Adbib, originally from the region.
