Colombian Cannabis Exports Nearly Doubled Last Year
The cannabis world is constantly evolving, particularly in recent years, and there’s no end to that trend in sight. It will be a long time before the dust from the international cannabis industry settles, however, there’s one thing that is likely a safe bet – Colombia will dominate the export market in the future.
Colombia has long served as an international supplier of cannabis, albeit unregulated cannabis. As the international cannabis industry continues to spread, and more markets go legal, many of them will turn to Colombia in an increasing fashion for supply.
Cannabis can be cultivated in Colombia much easier compared to many other countries, with the quality being comparable to what is found in other nations but produced at a fraction of the cost. This last year Colombia ramped up its legal medical cannabis exports considerably, nearly doubling statistics from the prior year on record. Per The New Century:
Bogotá (48%), Cundinamarca (30%), Antioquia (12%), Santander (8%) and Magdalena (2%), were the departments that exported US$8.4 million in cannabis between January and November 2022, which which represented an increase of 96% compared to the same period in 2021, according to figures from Dane.
There are 13 companies that reached 14 countries, where Argentina (40%), Brazil (14%), Australia (12%), Switzerland (7%), Israel (6.5%), the United States (6%) and Germany (5.5%).
“58% of these exports were destined for Latin America and the Caribbean. It is a sector that has significant potential in generating quality employment, especially for women, in different regions of the country. Likewise, cannabis value-added goods have stood out for their quality and innovation,” said Carmen Caballero, president of ProColombia.
It’s going to be very difficult for many other countries to compete with Colombia’s production. In many parts of the world, the cannabis plant can only be effectively cultivated in indoor facilities, and no matter how efficient they are they will never be able to compete with the cannabis flower that is cultivated under the sun or in greenhouses in Colombia.
Cannabis companies around the world would be wise to base their plans on a global cannabis industry that is eventually largely based on some countries cultivating cannabis, some turning raw cannabis into finished goods, and some countries serving as the top market for sales, which occurs with virtually every other agricultural crop.