![]() There are many risks to the French economy for the rest of the year. However, better than expected does not mean good. Certainly, GDP growth could remain in positive territory in the first quarter, which would be a little better than expected at the end of 2022. More generally, all the data published so far suggests that the optimism at the beginning of the year was perhaps a little premature. The chemical, pharmaceutical, wood-paper and rubber-plastic industries saw their production fall over the month. More worryingly, the manufacturing of other industrial products was also in strong decline over the month (-2%) after having already decreased by 0.2% in December. This series is nevertheless still very volatile, as it is strongly influenced by the deliveries of ships or planes produced in France. The production of automobiles decreased by 2.6% and that of other transport equipment fell by 9.5%. The fall is due to the manufacture of transport equipment, which dropped by 6.7% over the month. For industry as a whole, the fall was 1.9% over the month compared to +1.5% the previous month. Manufacturing output fell sharply in January, by 1.8% over one month, compared with a 0.2% rise in December. “An increased THC level gives industrial hemp farmers greater options when selecting genetics to cultivate and allows production for a broader range of markets (that is 0 to 1 percent).After the figures for household consumption of goods for January, INSEE published the second indicator of actual activity for the first quarter, industrial production, which finally gives a clear view of how the French economy has started the year. TRB, he added, is also proposing to raise the legal THC content of industrial hemp from 0,3 to 1 percent for effective medicinal purposes. “Marijuana contains about 30 percent of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) - a psychoactive constituent of cannabis - which is considered very high, compared to industrial hemp, which has 0,3 percent THC content. Most people, he said, confuse industrial hemp with marijuana, a psychoactive drug. “The bill also introduces a legal definition of industrial hemp, which is defined as a plant, Cannabis sativa L, and any part of the plant, including the seed thereof and all derivatives, extracts, cannabinoids, isomers, acids, salts and salts of isomers, whether growing or not with a delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol concentration of not more than 1 percent on a dry weight basis.” “The Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Amendment Bill, 2022, is proposing the amendment of Section 155 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act to remove industrial hemp from the list of dangerous drugs. “There are indications that the legal framework is moving in a more liberal direction,” he said. ![]() Tobacco Research Board (TRB) plant breeder Dr Kumbirai Mateva said this would help increase production. The Government has moved to remove industrial hemp from the list of dangerous drugs through gazetting proposed amendments to Section 155 of the Criminal Law (Codification and Reform) Act. “There is also need for the establishment of local hemp testing centres, investment in research and development, as well as processing of hemp products (hemp grain and hemp fibres) and participation at international cannabis expos for more information on markets,” he said. However, the sub-sector is experiencing teething challenges such as the unavailability of local hemp varieties, lack of local internationally certified testing centres and a guaranteed local market.Ī kilogramme of locally produced industrial hemp is fetching about US$10 on the Swiss market, said Mr Isaya, adding that there was need to intensify research and breeding of local hemp seed varieties to boost production. Currently, two companies - African Medical Cannabis Biotech and Swiss Bioceuticals - are expressing hemp oil from the local crop.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |