PESHAWAR: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Senator Shibli Faraz the first Bhang harvest in Rawalpindi.
Speaking to media on the occasion of inauguration, Faraz said that that cultivation of one acre bhang (hemp) was completed in August and after three months, it is time to harvest the crop. He said that the most expensive part of crop is its seed which was obtained Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan and Gilgit.
The minister said that there was a lot of negative propaganda against hemp cultivation but the government ignored it. He added that there is common impression that bhang is being misused in our country but in reality it is used in manufacturing medicine. He informed that its fiber is also being used in industries and could be exported. “Thus, hemp is more profitable than drugs. Infect, It is an industry which was taken lightly in the past,” the minister said.
The minister informed that hemp seeds are also being manufactured and export of hemp products will be started in the near future. “Oil will be extracted from hemp seeds and various cross products will be manufactured and exported,” Faraz said.
The Ministry of Science and Technology has prepared a hemp policy and sent it to the cabinet for approval. After approval, investors will be allowed to cultivate cannabis in the country. Initially, 100 licenses will be issued under strict conditions. The Federal Minister for Science and Technology hopes that hemp will become a billion dollar market by 2026. The policy draft said that an authority will be set up to curb its misuse. The investors will be facilitated through one-window operation so that the licensees do not face any problem.
The federal minister said that the prime minister had also launched an olive campaign and now its production has also started. Faraz informed that ministry of Agriculture, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Ministry of Health and other stakeholders have formulated a policies for new crops.