By Noé Hochet-BodinPosted on 21-09-2019Modified on 21-09-2019 at 06:23

The small kingdom of southern Africa was the first African country to legalize medicinal cannabis in 2017. Since then, it has been reaping the benefits of this "green gold", whose global market is booming.

From our special envoy,

The global cannabis market is estimated at $ 150 billion today. By 2028, this number will almost double. If cannabis is considered a product of the future, Lesotho is the eldorado on the continent. Since the legalization of the culture of matekoane (cannabis in Sotho language) two years ago, the mountains of the kingdom have seen many companies land. Some local companies, but especially American, Canadian and British multinationals.

Verve, the last group to build a production site in Lesotho, comes from the UK. At the time of the inauguration of its production plant in August, even King Letsie III of Lesotho made the trip. This is to say the importance of this industry, seen by the authorities as the main solution to modernize one of the world's poorest economies, ranked 159th in the index of human development.

Deputy Minister of Health Manthabiseng Phohleli assures: " This is a huge opportunity for a small country like ours. This attracts investors, we currently have a dozen companies operating in the territory, employing 3,000 people. "By charging operating licenses about 30,000 euros a year, the government ensures a regular cash flow. For a while, it has even been possible to multiply by ten the price of these licenses, to take full advantage of the international craze.

► Also to listen: Lesotho: first country to legalize cannabis [1/3]

It must be said that the kingdom of two million inhabitants, enclaved within the giant South African, presents the ideal conditions for cultivating medicinal cannabis. The country is not politically unstable, labor is cheap, the license is cheap and the weather is ideal. It is the only country in the world whose land is more than 1,400 m above sea level, hence its nickname "Kingdom in the Sky".

The Silicon Valley of cannabis

To get to one of the cannabis plantations, it takes several hours driving through the mountains from the capital Maseru. In Marakabeis, a small village in the center of the country, Medigrow has planted its agricultural greenhouses. Eighteen for now. " Soon more than two hundred, " says Relebohile Liphoto, chief of operations. Here, 3,600 straight line cannabis plants are maintained by 300 employees. " What I have in front of me is simply the green gold of Lesotho, " he continues. This is what will enable the development of the country. "

Medigrow is a kind of Silicon Valley cannabis planted in the countryside. There is an impression of anachronism. Ultra modernity rubs deep Lesotho. Relebohile points to a hill in the distance. " This is where the heliport will be built so that we can get marijuana to Maseru more quickly. To build all these infrastructures, Medigrow has spent 17 million euros, a huge investment in a country that is not used to it. And it's not over according to the company's chief of operations. " For the moment, we are covering an area of 5,000m2. In a few years we will cover about 90,000m2. "

Projects galore

Is this an immoderate investment? No if we believe the market forecasts and especially the price of medicinal cannabis. CBD oil, in industry jargon, is one of the most expensive liquids in the world today. " According to the prices, one can sell a liter of cannabis oil between 6 000 and 21 000 dollars, ensures Relebohile Liphoto ". About a thousand liters of cannabis oil will be released each year from Medigrow greenhouses.

The kingdom sees budding projects related to "green gold". A state-of-the-art pharmaceutical laboratory opened this year in the capital Maseru. The only one in Africa to do research and development on this medicinal cannabis (or CBD), a legal marijuana without any psychotropic agent.

A few steps from the laboratory, Matiti Trish Kabi opened his shop. His company, AloCann, cultivates and processes cannabis. " We have a whole range of products, " she says. We have eight different cannabis oils, cannabis teas, cannabis lip balm, skin creams, and soap. The most expensive product we have is oil, which costs 210 euros for 10 milliliters. The cheapest is soap, it's a little over 10 euros. "

A small clientele has already formed. Patronella, in her forties, has been suffering from depression and insomnia for years. " I started using the products four months ago. At home, I drink a tea at night that allows me to have no insomnia, allows me to relax and makes me lose weight. And in the morning I take one that helps to control my blood pressure. "Products that cost him 110 euros per month," an economy compared to its cost of doctors and pharmacy before ". Nevertheless, the sum represents almost half of the average salary of the Basotho.

A market that does not benefit everyone

Cannabis is a success story in Lesotho, a new paradise for industrialists. Legalization also benefits the state coffers. But what about the rest of the population, three-quarters of whom live in rural Lesotho and who for the most part grow marijuana illegally for decades?

Mothiba Thamae and several small farmers are indignant. The operating license is simply too expensive for them, who would like to be part of this market. " Yes, it's frustrating, because it was hoped that the authorities would give us cheaper licenses to have an opportunity to cultivate. But it looks too complicated for them, he says. "

If Mothiba continues to produce its fruits and vegetables, others have taken the option to brave the forbidden. They grow non-medicinal marijuana for export to the other side of the border. This activity, tolerated for a long time, is now more closely controlled by the police. All goods flow into South Africa, the only border country. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reports that 70% of cannabis in South Africa comes from the mountains of Lesotho, where " illegal marijuana is the kingdom's third source of income ".

► To listen too:

  • Cannabis in Lesotho: Basotho producers excluded from the market [2/3]
  • Lesotho: Cannabis, the country's third largest source of income, trafficked [3/3]

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