Morocco expands legal cannabis cultivated area eightfold

Morocco increased eightfold the area cultivated with legal cannabis to 2078 hectares as the number of permits for investors grew to 161.

Speaking to Asharq, head of the national agency for the regulation of the activities linked to cannabis, Mohamed Guerrouj, said these figures reflect the success of legalization among farmers and investors alike.

“This year we will have an important harvest given the cultivated area,” he said, adding that the average hectare output stands at up to 20 quintals.

The agency, known as ANRAC, has greenlighted the cultivation of the local strain “Beldia”, which has a low THC and requires less water compared to imported seeds.

The cultivated area with Beldia was 732, that is 35% of the total areas dedicated to legal cannabis, he said.

In April, Morocco reported its first legal export of the substance to Switzerland for medical purposes

Last year, Morocco’s legal cannabis harvest stood at 294 tons, the first since the country legalized the cultivation of cannabis for medicine and industry use in 2021.