Sunday, September 6, 2020

Pakistan to Grow Hemp For Manufacturing & Export of Industrial and Medicinal Products

Pakistan government has decided to permit hemp farming for industrial and medicinal use, according to Mr. Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of Science and Technology. Initially, the government will control hemp production, Chaudhry said, but private businesses and farmers will be allowed to enter the market at a later date, according to the French news agency AFP.

Hemp ( بھنگ ) plants grow wild like weeds in many parts of Pakistan, particularly in Potohar region where the nation's capital Islamabad is located. Hemp is one of the oldest plants on record as having been used to benefit humans. Hemp is known to have at least 50,000 different uses.  In South Asia, people have been cultivating hemp to make ropes and bags and to smoke hashish for centuries.

The government has picked International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) to help regulate hemp products in Pakistan, according to HempToday, a publication that covers the hemp industry. Located at the University of Karachi, it has all the equipment and expertise needed for validation and compliance certification of hemp products in the country, according to Dr. Iqbal Chaudhry, the Center’s Director. He said Pakistan can develop value-added products for export using ICCBS’s research facilities.


Hemp (بھنگ) Applications

It is hard to tell hemp and marijuana plants apart. Both look the same. However, unlike marijuana, hemp does not contain large amount of high-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) which can be addictive. However, it can still be used to produce CBD (cannabinoid) for medical purposes.  US Law requires that hemp not contain more than 0.3% THC.

In addition to using CBD in food and medicine, there are many different industrial uses of hemp as well. It can be used in textiles, paper, building materials and body care products.

Pakistan can export CBD to European Union and the United States where it has been legalized and being used to fight the side effects of cancer chemotherapy. The estimated global current market opportunity for CBD is about $25 billion."This hemp market could provide Pakistan with some $1 billion (in export earnings) in the next three years and we are in a process of making a full-fledged plan for this purpose," Mr. Chaudhry told the media recently. He also said that with cotton production in Pakistan declining due to various factors, hemp provided farmers with a viable alternative.

Hemp is probably the strongest natural fiber known to man. It has been used to make ropes, bags and textile fabrics for centuries. Rope beds, known as charpais, are still a common sight in rural Pakistan. Using hemp instead of trees in making paper and packaging materials can help save Pakistan's meager forests, and help diversify exports to earn valuable foreign exchange.

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6 comments:

Anonymous said...

ھنگ کی اجازت کیوں دی ؟؟

‏حکومت پاکستان نے CBD کے میڈیکل اور انڈسٹریل استعمال کا لائسنس جاری کردیا
بلاشبہ یہ ایک بہترین پیشرفت ہے جس پہ کچھ عقل و شعور سے عاری لوگ تنقید کر رہے۔
امریکا میں ماہرین نباتات نے آج سے پچاس سال قبل بھنگ پر ریسرچ شروع کی تو پتہ چلا بھنگ میں دو قسم کے اجزاء ہوتے ہیں
‏پہلا جزو سی بی ڈی (Cannabidiol) ہے، یہ پینے والوں کو پرسکون بھی بناتا ہے اور بیماریوں کے خلاف ان کی قوت مدافعت میں بھی اضافہ کرتا ہے جب کہ دوسرا جزو ٹی ایچ سی (Tetrahydrocannabinol) ہے اور یہ انسان کو نشے میں لے جاتا ہے،مدہوش کر دیتا ہے
ماہرین نے ان اجزاء کی دریافت کے ‏بعد بھنگ کا ایک ایسا پودا بنانا شروع کر دیا جس میں ٹی ایچ سی کا لیول کم اور سی بی ڈی زیادہ ہو‘ یہ چاہتے تھے بھنگ کا نیا پودا پینے والوں کی قوت مدافعت اور سکون بھی بڑھا دے اور یہ لوگ نشے کے شکار بھی نہ ہوں
ماہرین ریسرچ کرتے کرتے ٹی ایچ سی کی سطح کو تین فی صد اور سی بی ڈی کو 97٪
‏تک لے آئے
اس کمال کے بعد امریکا کی فوڈ اینڈ ڈرگ ایڈمنسٹریشن نے نئی فصل کا معائنہ کیا
لیبارٹریوں میں ٹیسٹ کیا اور اسے انسانی صحت کے لیے مفید قرار دے دیا
یہ رپورٹ امریکی صدر ڈونلڈ ٹرمپ تک پہنچی اور ٹرمپ نے دسمبر2018 میں جدید بھنگ( میری جوانا) امریکا میں لیگل قرار دے دی. بھنگ کا
‏پودا ہیمپ (Hemp) بھی کہلاتا ہے
حکومت کی اجازت کے بعد امریکا میں ہیمپ ایک نئی انڈسٹری بن کر ابھر رہی ہے
ہیمپ کا منرل واٹر بھی بن رہا ہے، گولیاں بھی، چیونگم بھی، مرہم بھی، ان ہیلر بھی، شیمپو بھی، تیل بھی اور کریمیں بھی، مارکیٹ میں اب ہیمپ کے سگریٹ بھی دستیاب ہیں اور لوگ یہ تمام ‏اشیاء کھلے عام استعمال کر رہے ہیں۔
ماہرین نے لوگوں پر ہیمپ کے دلچسپ اثرات دیکھے ہیں، یہ بلڈ پریشر، کولیسٹرول اور شوگر میں بھی معاون ثابت ہو رہی ہے اور یہ ڈپریشن کی ادویات کی جگہ بھی لے رہی
المختصر Hemp پوری دنیا میں فارماسوٹیکل انڈسٹری کی ہیئت تبدیل کر رہی ہے۔۔۔
۔

‏اب آپ خود فیصلہ کرلیں حکومت پاکستان کا یہ اقدام لائق تحسین ہے یا قابل تنقید؟؟

Habibullah K. said...

Hemp is commonly used in rural areas of Pakistan mainly in Summer season to kill body heat ! It is used by villagers for treating several ailments! It has a toxic effect and should be used with care! It has a good International Market and can bring Foreign Exchange provided its production and export is properly controlled !

Riaz Haq said...

ICCBS was chosen by the government to work on the project because it has all the equipment and expertise required for certification and validation of hemp products, according to Dr. Iqbal Chaudhry, the Center’s Director. He said Pakistan can develop value-added products for export using ICCBS’s research facilities.

https://hemptoday.net/researchers-will-benefit-first-in-pakistans-new-hemp-program/


Pakistani government said it hopes to capitalize on the CBD market as it took the first steps toward creating a national hemp program last week. The federal cabinet approved hemp production under government control, calling it a “landmark decision” that could eventually boost the fortunes of private commercial companies and farmers.

Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry announced the cabinet of Prime Minister Imran Khan also had approved a first research license for the Ministry of Science & Technology’s Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR) to analyze such things as local cultivars, plant chemistry, and potential industrial and other applications. The government said it will also take time to develop “safeguards” while the plant is still under government control.

Khan’s government has pushed for development of a cannabis economy as one way to improve Pakistan’s foreign exchange position amid the country’s economic challenges. “We want the hemp market to generate $1 billion for Pakistan in the next three years,” Chaudhry said.

“This is a major breakthrough first for research institutions,” said Muhammed A. Qayyum, an adviser to the Pakistani government, and a director at Medics Laboratories Pvt. Ltd., Karachi, a producer of herbals and nutraceuticals. “Cannabis has always been a no-go area, so this means they can start working on the required studies.”

Qayyum said the well-regarded International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) at the University of Karachi, which does R&D into the biology of plants, will also play a key role in the country’s cannabis research.

ICCBS was chosen by the government to work on the project because it has all the equipment and expertise required for certification and validation of hemp products, according to Dr. Iqbal Chaudhry, the Center’s Director. He said Pakistan can develop value-added products for export using ICCBS’s research facilities.

Riaz Haq said...

کیا جنگلی بھنگ اتنی مفید ہے جتنی کاشت کی ہوئی؟

https://www.independenturdu.com/node/46206

پاکستان میں جنگلی بھنگ کا پودا ہر عام اگتا ہے تو کیا یہ خودرو بھنگ اتنی کارآمد ہے یا اس کے لیے خصوصی کاشت ضروری ہے؟ اس حوالے سے قائداعظم یونیورسٹی کے فارمیسی شعبے سے تعلق رکھنے والے پروفیسر ڈاکٹر عاصم رحمن نے انڈپینڈنٹ اردو کو بتایا کہ بنیادی طور پر اس پودے میں کینابیڈیول (cannabidiol) نامی ایک عنصر موجود ہوتا ہے جو درد کی شدت کم کرنے کے لیے ادویات، آئل، سپرے یا اِن ہیلرز میں استعمال کیا جاتا ہے۔

انہوں نے بتایا کہ اس حوالے سے پاکستان میں ریسرچ 1983 سے جاری تھی اور ابھی بھی مختلف ادویات میں بھنگ کے استعمال کے حوالے قائداعظم یونیورسٹی کے شعبہ ادویات میں ریسرچ جاری ہے۔ انہوں نے بتایا کہ یہ عنصر شدید درد کے مریضوں کے لیے اہم کردار ادا کرتا ہے اور اکثر جسم میں بخار سے پیدا ہونے والی حرارت کو بھی کم کرنے میں مدد دیتا ہے۔

ان کا کہنا تھا کہ اب حکومت نے باقاعدہ کاشت کی اجازت دی ہے تو ادویات بنانےمیں آسانی ملے گی۔

پروفیسر ڈاکٹر عاصم رحمن کے مطابق 'بنیادی طور بھنگ کے پودے کے خاص عنصر قوت مدافعت بڑھانے میں معاون ثابت ہوتے ہیں اور سکون آور بھی۔ لیکن عام جنگلی خودرو بھنگ اور باقاعدہ کاشت ہونے والی بھنگ میں فرق ہوتا ہے۔ ایسا نہیں ہے کوئی بھی شخص خودرو بھنگ توڑ کر دوائی سمجھ کر کھانا شروع کر دے۔'

انہوں نے کہا کہ کینابیڈیول کا عنصر جنگلی خودرو بھنگ میں بہت کم ہوتا ہے جبکہ نشہ آور تقصان دہ عنصر زیادہ ہوتے ہیں۔ کاشت کیا جانے والا باقاعدہ بھنگ کا پودا اسی کینابس فیملی سے تعلق رکھتا ہے لیکن اس کی نباتاتی خصوصیات میں کینابیڈیول عنصر بہت زیادہ مقدار میں ہو گا جبکہ نقصان دہ عنصر کم ہو گا۔

واضح رہے کہ روس میں بھی غیر نشہ آور بھنگ صنعتی استعمال کے لیے کاشت کی جاتی ہے۔ اور اس سے حاصل ہونے والے تیل اور بیج کو فالج کے علاج کے لیے استعمال کیا جاتا ہے۔ اس کے علاوہ امریکہ بھی سی بی ڈی آئل بنانے والی بڑی مارکیٹ ہے۔

Riaz Haq said...

#Pakistan to boost #industrial hemp production #Hemp can be a #cotton substitute resistant to bad weather.. no pesticides needed which makes it eco-friendly and safe...can also be grown in abundance on little land and requires less #water than cotton. https://p.dw.com/p/3nPnr?maca=en-Twitter-sharing

The Pakistani government announced in September this year that it would allow the industrial production of hemp, a type of cannabis plant containing cannabidiol (CBD), which advocates say has numerous medicinal and relaxing properties. Hemp, however, does not contain significant quantities of high-inducing tetrahydrocannabinol (THC).

The move comes as Prime Minister Imran Khan's government struggles to boost the country's foreign exchange coffers that have been drained by a struggling economy, fiscal deficits and inflation.

Fawad Chaudhry, science and technology minister, said Pakistan can rake in about $1 billion (€820 million) in revenue over the next three years by capturing a share in the booming CBD market. Chaudhry said the industrial hemp market was worth some $25 billion globally and several countries were relaxing laws targeting cannabis-based products such as CBD oils.

The Pakistani government's decision came after a United Nations commission voted to remove the cannabis made for medicinal purposes from a category of the world's most dangerous drugs. Experts view this change as a "watershed moment" for greater medical research and legalization globally.

Huge potential
Hemp production can open up new opportunities for farmers in Pakistan at a time when they're struggling with the slowdown in the cotton industry. Cotton accounts for 8% of the South Asian nation's GDP and 64% of exports, but its production dropped by a staggering 20% in 2019, slashing growers' incomes.

Hemp grows almost as a weed in parts of Pakistan — including in great abundance in the capital, where huge bushes can be seen sprouting at traffic roundabouts.

"Hemp is highly resistant to bad weather. There are no pesticides needed in its production, which makes it eco-friendly and safe. It can also be grown in abundance on little land and requires less water than cotton," Helga Ahmed, a German environmentalist who has been living in Pakistan for the past 60 years, told DW.

Ahmed has been actively lobbying for the legalization of hemp production in the country and noted that the applications of hemp go beyond consumer products like textiles and CBD oils. She shared that greener hemp production practices can be leveraged to tackle climate change and promote sustainable social housing.

In conservative Pakistan, where the consumption of alcohol is strictly forbidden for Muslims, many people are surprisingly open to using cannabis, with the spongy, black hash made from marijuana grown in the country's tribal belt and neighboring Afghanistan the preferred variant of the drug.

Across the subcontinent people have been cultivating cannabis and smoking hash for centuries. The plant predates the arrival of Islam in the region, with reference to cannabis appearing in the sacred Hindu Atharva Veda text describing its medicinal and ritual uses.

Bureaucracy and bottlenecks
Despite its potential socioeconomic benefits, Pakistan faces bottlenecks in ramping up hemp's production. Environmentalists who have been lobbying for hemp's legalization are worried about the vertical integration model the government may adopt.

"Hemp is an inherently carbon negative plant, but if the government goes solely with vertical integration, it will become carbon positive," Mo Khan, Green Gate Global, UK, told DW. "Technology needs to be brought in but also the indigenous knowledge base of farmers that have been tending hemp over the past 2,000 years," he added.

Riaz Haq said...

Native to South Asia, the hardy and drought-resistant Moringa tree can contribute to everything from better vision and stronger immune system to healthier bones and skin. Moringa has 25 times more iron than spinach, 17 times more calcium than milk, 15 times more potassium than bananas and nine times more protein than yoghurt, according to Dr. Shahzad Basra of the University of Agriculture in Faisalabad, Pakistan. “It also has seven times more vitamin C compared to oranges, over 10 times more vitamin A compared to carrots and three times more vitamin E compared to almonds", he added. No wonder the powder made from Moringa leaves is sold as superfood in the West. Global market for Moringa products is estimated at $5 billion and growing at 8% CAGR.

http://www.riazhaq.com/2021/01/pakistani-universities-promoting.html