TORONTO and RIONEGRO, Colombia, April 12, 2017 /CNW/ – Following the April 10 signing of Decree 613 by President Santos of Colombia, enabling the government to accept license applications for the commercial cultivation of cannabis plants, Rionegro, Colombia-based PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S. announces that it will file a series of cultivation license applications, with the first to be filed in the immediate future. The cultivation licenses will complement the company’s previously granted license for the processing and manufacture of cannabis oil.
“Receiving cultivation licences is the next stage in PharmaCielo’s goal of becoming Colombia’s first fully licensed and integrated grower and manufacturer of cannabis oil extracts,” explained PharmaCielo President and CEO Dr. Patricio Stocker. “The government is to be congratulated on its thoroughness and the well-developed platform for the granting of cultivation licenses that Decree 613 represents. This carefully considered action is a necessary next step in the continued development of Colombia’s cannabis oil extract industry, which will benefit the nation as a whole.”
The primary cultivation license application to be filed will be on behalf of PharmaCielo’s wholly-owned 27-hectare nursery and propagation centre in Rionegro. Additional individual applications will be submitted jointly over time with Rionegro growers with whom PharmaCielo has signed cultivation contracts, as the company’s cultivation capacity expands. A joint application with Cooperativa Caucannabis, as part of a previously announced partnership to jointly develop greenhouse operations in the Cauca department, will also be submitted. Over time, cuttings from strains cultivated at the nursery and propagation centre will be transplanted to the contract Rionegro growers as well as to Cauca department greenhouses, for growth to maturity and harvest. At capacity, this represents up to 1,000 hectares of total cultivation to be processed by PharmaCielo into cannabis oils.
“The experienced flower growers at our nursery and in our Rionegro area cultivation contract network are mutually looking forward to the new challenges of cultivating feeder stock cannabis flower to support our oil processing activities,” said Federico Cock-Correa, CEO of PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S. “Similarly, working together with our Cooperativa Caucannabis partners to begin commercial cultivation of cannabis for processing into oil extracts is the critical next step in the evolution of both the overall Colombian cannabis industry and local economies, including in the Cauca region.”
Since the company’s June 2016 manufacturing license announcement, PharmaCielo has made a number of significant investments in its Rionegro operations in anticipation of applying for its cultivation license. These investments focused on its nursery and propagation centre, and include the following:
- Security fencing with fibre-optic cabling has been erected around the perimeter of the facility in accordance with the manufacturing license.
- Existing nursery facilities have been upgraded to include a high-efficiency drip irrigation system to water greenhouse plants and updated nursery coverings with capacity to supply up to 1,000 hectares of contract growth.
- Upgrades to on-site roadworks have been implemented to ensure ease of access for commercial vehicles.
- Expansion of natural water reservoir systems have been completed to ensure additional water capacity for future requirements.
- Office space improvements have been made to accommodate management and sales staff.
Subject to the review and approval of the license applications by the Colombian government, PharmaCielo looks forward to the next steps and anticipates having more announcements in the near future.
About PharmaCielo:
PharmaCielo Ltd. is a global company privately held and headquartered in Canada, with a focus on processing and supplying all natural, medicinal-grade cannabis oil extracts and related products to large channel distributors. PharmaCielo’s principal (and wholly-owned) subsidiary is PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings S.A.S., headquartered at its nursery and propagation centre located in Rionegro, Colombia.
The boards of directors and executive teams of both PharmaCielo and PharmaCielo Colombia Holdings are comprised of a diversely talented group of international business executives and specialists with relevant and varied expertise. PharmaCielo recognized the significant role that Colombia’s ideal location will play in building a sustainable business in the medical cannabis industry, and the company, together with its directors and executives, has built a compelling business plan focused on supplying the international marketplace.
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SOURCE PharmaCielo
