By ELVIS BANDA
GOVERNMENT must quickly take a step and actualise the cultivation and production of hemp, says Green Party President Peter Sinkamba.
Mr. Sinkamba said despite the shown interest by the government to venture into cannabis cultivation little or nothing has been done to ensure there is progress emphasising that there is need for thorough consultations to be done.
He said there is need to engage various stakeholders and put in place committees adding that failure to do that may result in the project not yielding desired results.
Mr Sinkamba, who has been advocating for the export of cannabis since 2013 said the move could earn the country up to $36 billion annually.
His advocacy saw the legalisation of the production and export of cannabis for economic and medicinal purposes by the government in December 2019 becoming the latest country to shift its position on the drug to give its finances a boost.
Zambia’s motivation was rooted in a hefty fiscal deficit and growing debt burden. Growth in external debt to $10.5 billion at the end of 2018 from $8.74 billion a year earlier had raised fears the country was headed for a debt crisis.
