Ganja Stakeholders Urged To Focus On Global Nutraceutical Market

President of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), Diane Edwards, is urging players in the local cannabis sector, to place some focus on the untapped international nutraceutical market.

Addressing a conference on Jamaica’s Cannabis Reforms in Negril, on November 14, Ms. Edwards said the nutraceutical industry has an estimated value of US$170 billion, and is yearning for participants.

She pointed out that the nutraceutical market will give Jamaicans an added opportunity to develop their own brands of cannabis products.

Ms. Edwards added that local universities are not to be left out, as they can benefit through the addition of more programmes to their curriculum to train scientists to develop new products from marijuana.

As it relates to opportunities, the President said the market is huge and growing, and that Jamaica could become a centre of excellence in the field of research.

Ms. Edwards added that the country could attract the best scientific minds to come to Jamaica and develop new products, if the centre of excellence is established and given global recognition.

“There is also an opportunity to develop a full value chain locally, where we control the whole chain of the product from the field to the consumer …that really gives us an opportunity to ensure quality every step of the way,” she said.

The growing of marijuana is also an area in which Jamaicans could get involved, Ms. Edwards noted,  working as small, large and group producers.

“Small and large farmers could look at different forms of growing and collaborating…and at collective relationships, where we can generate and centralise some of the products we need, so that we can achieve the economies of scale,” she suggested.