Public and private institutions, and civil societies, exchanged knowledge to promote the articulation and promote the development of cannabis and industrial hemp in a meeting convened by the National Service for Agrifood Health and Quality (Senasa).
“We are opening doors; first the medicinal aspect of cannabis was opened and now we are working for its industrial use,” said the president of Senasa, Diana Guillén, when she inaugurated today, together with the Secretary of Agriculture, Juan José Bahillo, the First Inter-institutional Meeting for the Development of Cannabis and Industrial Hemp.
At the meeting, which takes place at the “Nestor Kirchner” Cultural Center (CCK), the innovations and regulatory updates necessary to accompany the country’s producers are addressed, the agency reported in a press release.
From the CCK, the secretary of @AgriculturaAR @JuanjoBahillo participated in the opening of the “1st Inter-institutional Meeting for the Development of Cannabis and Industrial Hemp”, accompanied by the authorities of Senasa @DianaGuillen_ok Y @roloacerbi pic.twitter.com/bXYqAsBm1t
– Senasa Argentina (@SenasaAR) October 24, 2022
After highlighting the powers of Senasa “in the formulation of phytozoophytosanitary and food safety standards” regarding the cultivation of hemp, Guillén considered “it is necessary that the work be done jointly and inter-institutionally from the portfolios of Health, Production and Agriculture.”
For his part, Bahillo -who spoke at the end of the opening ceremony- recognized the former Minister of Agriculture, Luis Basterra, and Guillén (at that time Chief of Staff of the agricultural portfolio) for promoting Resolution 140 that “initiated the end of the prohibitionism of the hemp industry and it was possible to start working on the development of the sector”.
He also stressed that currently “four species of cultivars are registered and another five are ready to be approved” by the National Seed Institute (Inase).
He also praised the Senasa initiative that “based on Law 27,699 promoted an Inter-institutional Table for the Development of Cannabis and Industrial Hemp” and maintained “the strong commitment that the State has to support the growth of this sector that will benefit the regional economies, with sustainable production and formal employment.”
Also present at the inauguration were the vice president of Senasa, Rodolfo Acerbi, the national director of Animal Health, Ximena Melón; the president of Inase, Silvana Babbit and the director of the Institute of Biological Resources of the National Institute of Agricultural Technology (INTA), Silvina Lewin, among other officials.
The meeting – which is broadcast on the official Senasa channel on YouTube – brings together, in addition to Senasa, professionals and technicians from Sagpya, INTA, Inase, the National Institute of Industrial Technology (INTI), the Ministry of Health, Anmat, Conicet, Inaes and Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Buenos Aires, and representatives of civil associations such as Mamá Cultiva Argentina and Proyecto Cáñamo.
The meeting, which will continue this Tuesday, It contemplates topics such as History, memories and advances of the different experiences around medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp; Regulatory frameworks and experiences: a look at the State and the organizations; Legislation and research: correct reading and interpretation of the regulations established for the production, use and research of medicinal cannabis and industrial hemp; and Projects and developments of the national industry: strengthening of industrial processes, organisms intervening in the production chain.
