Legal cannabis farming expands strongly in Morocco amid export launch

Legal cannabis farming expands strongly in Morocco amid export launch
Saturday 9 August 2025 - 18:00

Legal cannabis cultivation in Morocco has seen a significant expansion during the current agricultural season, with a sharp increase in cultivated land, registered farmers and cooperatives involved in the regulated industry aimed at channeling cannabis toward legal medical and industrial uses.

According to exclusive data obtained by Hespress from a senior official at the National Agency for the Regulation of Cannabis-Related Activities (ANRAC), nearly 4,400 hectares of the local “Beldiya” strain were cultivated this season, up from approximately 1,400 hectares last year, representing a more than threefold increase.

The cultivation is concentrated in three officially authorized regions: Taounate (1,900 farmers), Chefchaouen (1,300) and Al Hoceima (1,200). In total, 4,490 farmers are now involved in legal cannabis farming, organized into around 250 agricultural cooperatives.

For imported seed strains, the National Office for Food Safety (ONSSA) granted licenses to cultivate 1,340 hectares this year, involving 1,650 farmers across 50 cooperatives, all of which were authorized to import seeds in 2025.

Harvesting of the “Beldiya” strain is already underway, with about 500 hectares reaped so far. The full harvest is expected to conclude by the end of September. Meanwhile, around 100 hectares have been planted with imported seed varieties.

The 2025 season has also seen the issuance of 3,800 new cultivation licenses, in addition to the renewal of approximately 2,900 from the previous year. Authorities also granted 210 licenses to industry stakeholders, including 161 cooperatives,  48 of which are focused on medical and industrial processing.

These developments come as Morocco launches its first-ever exports of legal cannabis products to international markets, with initial shipments sent this week to Australia and the Czech Republic. The move is expected to strengthen the country’s position as a responsible actor in the global legal cannabis industry.

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