Image: SEZ area for cannabis development in the Vaal Triangle
Sixty Vaal area indigenous cannabis farmers will receive agro-processing assistance as part of a project to add value to their biomass.
This will take place at the Sebokeng Industrialisation Hub, thanks to the signing of an MoU between cannabis training and mentoring company Kannelix and the Vaal University of Technology’s (VUT) Institute of Chemical and Biotechnology (ICBT) at Southern Gauteng Science and Technology Park. The park lies within the Vaal Special Economic Zone(SEZ) cluster.
Kannelix Director Thato Khesa this week told Cannabiz Africa that the 60 farmers are from a group of 150 actively-engaged local cannabis farmers; they will use infrastructure including grinders and moulds available at the agro-processing hub to value-add biomass for hempcrete bricks, bio animal feed, cosmetics and other products.
Kannelix has overseen lab-tested cold-pressing oil extraction to produce hemp seed oil and moringa oil among others.
Khesa described the development as a Gauteng Southern Corridor cannabis commercialisation initiative. He also said the agreement will allow farmers to receive training on soil preparation, cultivation, pest control, plant nurturing, drying and curing, among other processes.
Biotech entity Kannelix provides agro-processing research and development services and is leveraging its seed analytical and identification function to assist indigenous landrace growers to commercialise product prototypes . This has been in partnership with the Marijuana of Board of South Africa (MBOSA).
Khesa sits on MBOSA with a research mandate. He and fellow Kannelix director, Mokgitli Abel Pinkoane also work as online cannabis educational workshop facilitators for the NPO, the South African Dacha Consortium (SAIDC) .
Khesa says the initiative is compliant in terms of the Phakisa Sandbox which aims to integrate indigenous and marginalised cannabis growers in accordance with the Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) Act and Plant Improvement Act (PIA) and other legislative provisions.
He encouraged farmers to use the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and VUT product testing services saying these were comparatively cheaper than private entities. MBOSA members are already utilising the testing of products on the shelves for quality, efficacy and safety, facilitated by Kannelix.
Khesa says growers need to ensure certificates of analysis so that their flower and products could be legally protected.
“The farmers get assistance in seed registration and profiling for concentration and terpene profile which will enable them to know what their seeds are best for, whether it’s biofuel or cosmetics and multiple other products,” said Khesa.
He also said farmers needed to know the type of seed and plant preferred by the off taker and only genetic profiling could determine the type of products for which certain landraces were ideal.
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