Colombia’s hashish market has had a tumultuous journey thus far, with only a fraction of its potential as a worldwide cultivation powerhouse being fulfilled.
Flawed regulation, forms and the destructive notion of its hashish exports have hampered its improvement, regardless of regulation for authorized hashish manufacturing being launched in 2016.
Nevertheless, as mentioned in Prohibition Companions’ new World Hashish Report: fifth Version, current regulatory modifications and export development have renewed hope for Colombian companies and farmers.
One such enterprise, Cansultancy, is hoping to capitalise on this renewed hope and present the world what Colombian hashish can supply.
“We all know Colombian genetics and cultivars are phenomenal—distinctive merchandise that the world hasn’t seen earlier than. Our aim is to make Colombia the primary alternative for large-scale purchasers in Europe,” they informed Enterprise of Hashish.
Colombia’s market
After laws for hashish cultivation have been launched in 2016, some 2500 licences have been awarded, protecting some 10,000 hectares of farmland.
Regardless of this, by 2023, simply 40 of those licensed corporations have been operational, and simply 15 hectares have been being actively farmed.
Consultancy’s Eduardo Munoz, who grew up in Colombia, defined: “Firstly of the hashish course of in Colombia, growers have been primarily making ready for what was anticipated to be a powerful inside market. Sadly, because of forms and political misunderstandings, the inner market hasn’t gained a lot traction.”
New regulatory shifts intention to revitalise the home business. In September 2024, Decree 821 was amended to allow the sale of hashish flowers for medical remedies inside Colombia, a transfer anticipated to profit native producers.
Nevertheless, most producers have already turned in direction of worldwide markets, which promise each higher demand and higher margins.
In 2021, the nation lifted its ban on the export of dried hashish flower. However, following preliminary optimism, the expansion in exported Colombian hashish has slowed over the previous couple of years.
In 2023, Colombia reported over US$10.8 million in exports, a rise from US$8.4 million in 2022 and US$4.2 million in 2021.
Of the whole exports from 2023, 32% went to Brazil, 25% to Australia, and 14% to Germany, with these three international locations due to this fact totalling 71% of Colombian hashish exports.
Making Colombian hashish the ‘first alternative’ for Europe
Cansultancy, a hashish brokerage agency primarily based in Canada, lately acquired Colombia’s Farmadiol with a view to ascertain a presence and construct relationships with native growers available in the market.
Its Canadian founder, Michael Athill, who has been brokering offers and facilitating transactions in Canada for quite a lot of years, informed us: “In Canada, primarily based on my expertise, the market tends to focus internally first, then externally. Sadly, what usually occurs is second-rate merchandise are despatched abroad, whereas the most effective merchandise keep in Canada.”
His companion, Eduardo, continued: “The dynamic in Colombia is totally different. We don’t have an inside marketplace for hashish. It’s like our espresso: Colombia produces a few of the finest espresso on the earth, however we are able to’t afford to devour the most effective ourselves, so it’s exported. With hashish, there is no such thing as a home market in any respect, so exporting the most effective is our solely possibility.”
Recognising the chance of the nation’s ‘globally untapped cultivars,’ the pair are working to construct a trusted community of native craft producers within the nation, with a view to exporting hashish into Europe.
This requires producers to fulfill the stringent GACP (Good Agricultural and Assortment Practices) and GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) anticipated by European patrons.
“After we first entered Colombia, one in all our key mandates was to determine the way to really assist these farmers. Traditionally, patrons—known as “buccaneers”—would take merchandise from farmers with out respect, generally paying late or under no circumstances. This created a way of distrust and instability,” Michael defined.
“Our strategy is totally different. Eduardo, being Colombian himself, and our native crew have labored to construct a belief community with these growers. We’re not simply patrons—we’re companions.”
The bridges constructed between the growers and the corporate have been primarily based on Cansultancy’s efforts to information them by way of the method of acquiring these certifications.
Eduardo mentioned: “We’ve helped growers undertake GACP (Good Agricultural and Assortment Practices) certifications, which at the moment are extra widespread and higher understood in Colombia. Moreover, we’re collaborating with two labs in Colombia which are working in direction of attaining EU GMP (Good Manufacturing Practices) certification, aiming to finally have the primary EU GMP-certified amenities within the nation.
“These labs are additionally partnering with GMP-certified labs in Europe to streamline the method, guaranteeing that the ultimate packaging meets European requirements.”
Growers, he continued, at the moment are beginning to recognise the significance of formalising their operations to entry worldwide markets.
“The methods and genetics have all the time been there—it was nearly elevating requirements and making ready for export.”
With this community now in place, the pair want to take their first steps into Europe, hoping to showcase not solely Colombia’s distinctive cultivars however the farmers’ ‘deep information and distinctive skill to provide high-quality hashish merchandise’.
“We wish to assist export not solely their flowers but additionally their genetics and cultivars to Europe. We intention to reveal the world to those unimaginable Colombian genetics, cultivars, and growers—folks whose work has usually gone unnoticed. We’re lucky to have unique entry to a few of these hidden gems, and we’re excited to share their potential with the world.”
