Brazil's agricultural research agency Embrapa, which helped turn the country into a leading grains exporter, is preparing a 12-year research program that could do the same for cannabis cultivation in the farming powerhouse.
Embrapa scientists, who bred genetic varieties of grains, cotton and vegetables best suited for Brazil's tropical climate, expect health agency Anvisa to give a green light this year for the cannabis research program.
"Can you imagine if we had already carried out the genetic improvement of this plant like we've done with cotton in the last 50 years?" said Daniela Bittencourt, a researcher with the cannabis work group at Embrapa.
Embrapa's plans include creating a cannabis seed bank and adapting varieties to the Brazilian soil and climate, while helping to identify and develop regional cannabis production hubs around the country, she said. Bittencourt said about ten domestic and international companies have already contacted Embrapa about cannabis research partnerships. The firms are interested in applications ranging from medicine to food products, as well as exploring traits to facilitate crop rotation or fix carbon in soil.
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