National and provincial governments, municipalities, civil society organizations, NGOs, and cooperatives are to receive funding under the program, which also allows them to establish an Industrial Hemp Round Table.
Minister of Science Daniel Filmus emphasized the initiative “aims at federalizing research projects in the topics that we consider central from Conicet and the Ministry.”
In addition to Conicet, a government-organized technology company established to advance the industrial hemp and medical cannabis sectors, the investment project includes the University of Buenos Aires, the National University of Litoral, and the National University of Hurlingham.
The hemp and medical cannabis industries in Argentina could generate 10,000 new jobs, $500 million in domestic sales and $50 million in exports annually, according to their government estimates. Oversight of Argentina’s cannabis program is under the Regulatory Agency of the Hemp and Medicinal Cannabis Industry (ARICCAME) which is coordinating other regulatory bodies involved in the production chain and is also in the process of being formalised.
Photo by J Carfi