Paraguay to have world’s first indigenous hemp-producing community

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The country’s prominent position has allowed the cannabis industry for industrial purposes to grow, generating important sources of employment for several producers.

This fruitful context has enabled the natives of the Mboi Jagua community, in the department of Canindeyú, to become the first indigenous community in the world to produce hemp.

CCIP Paraguayan Chamber of Industrial Hemp chairman Marcelo Demp provided details on the long monitoring process developed with the indigenous community. He explained the important scope of the project and how it will enable the natives to earn a higher income and have a better quality of life.

FAMILIES BENEFITED

A total of 30 to 40 native families will benefit from the project. Should it work as planned, the project will offer great benefits to the community, allowing more natives to join cannabis production for industrial purposes and thus overcome the situation of extreme poverty in which they find themselves.

“The production of 100% of the 10 hectares is guaranteed to be purchased in full by the companies that make up the project. In 4 months the harvest will be completed with a payment of 10,000 guaraníes (US$1.46) per kilo of seed and 1,000 guaraníes per kilo of leaf. Next year, once the fiber industry is up and running, they will also buy this production,” Marcelo Demp pointed out.

TRAINING PROCESS

The process to achieve this important step involved a public-private partnership between several government institutions and hemp industry companies Healthy Grains S.A. and Irupe Paraguay. The natives received training in agronomic techniques, covering planting procedures, care and management.

“It was an alliance between the government and private sector companies. The State and its institutions have played a crucial role. Both fronts have supported the whole community from the very beginning of the project, providing them with everything they need for them to be confident and open to this business that will change their lives for the better,” emphasized the CCIP chairman.

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