Stellenbosch dagga farm given green light
Cannabis company Felbridge has been granted a licence to produce 14,000 square meters of dagga on a farm near Stellenbosch.
The company's CEO Leslie Zelt says the license was granted by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority following a two-year long application process.
The decision to grant the licence comes 13 months after the Constitutional Court essentially legalised dagga use for private consumption.
Zelt says they are running tests on a very small area of the farm to evaluate the quality of production and possible changes in structures.
As soon as the company is satisfied with the product, it will develop 5,000 square meters, mostly located in a greenhouse.
The company will take its existing employees and upskill them, but as soon as full production is reached some 75 to 120 additional people will be employed.
With the licence to grow 14,000 square meters of cannabis the company is expected to produce an estimated 20 tonnes of dagga on their farm over the years.