$13m grant turbocharges NZ’s medicinal cannabis industry
8 April 22
Government grant will help Puro grow an even brighter future
A partnership between the Government and Marlborough-based medicinal cannabis grower Puro will fast-track New Zealand’s organic medicinal cannabis industry.
Managing director Tim Aldridge says the grant is a gamechanger that will provide New Zealand patients with greater access to locally grown and manufactured medicine and pave the way for international export success.
Under the agreement, Puro will develop production systems, support skills and training, explore contract growing and identify pathways to market for industry growth.
“Being one of New Zealand’s first medicinal cannabis companies has meant we’ve had to overcome some major challenges – it hasn’t been easy. This programme will see us create an organic production handbook that will be invaluable for Puro and our industry.
“The grant will also support Puro in developing post-harvesting processing technology and build the IP required to produce premium organic cannabis flower to meet increasing domestic and global demand.”
Tim says the funding will enable Puro to develop unique cultivars and seed stock for the New Zealand industry.
“Our cultivation team are researching and developing the strains of medicinal cannabis best suited for New Zealand’s unique climate. The grant will see the acceleration of a large genetic database of cultivars to support the New Zealand industry and differentiate our cannabis products in global markets”.
The Agriculture Minister Hon Damien O’Connor said that the grant the Government was providing Puro could see the medicinal cannabis industry become as successful as our wine industry in the near future.
“Now is the perfect time to grow this high-value industry, as international demand for medicinal cannabis takes off while New Zealand is amid an export boom,” Damien O’Connor.
“This project will bring significant scale to this new industry, providing domestically sourced medicinal cannabis for Kiwi patients in pain and exciting export opportunities in a global growth market, providing further diversification of land use and export opportunities."
Minister O’Connor said that the grant will "fast-track the industry’s establishment in New Zealand and create a comprehensive blueprint that other Kiwi companies can use to follow in Puro’s footsteps."
“We’re proud to support the medicinal cannabis industry as it sets out to follow in the footsteps of our wine industry which, from first planting on commercial scale in the 1970s, has now reached over $2 billion in export value,” Damien O’Connor said.
Click here to read the full Minister's statement.
What the grant will support
The $32 million programme will run from 2022 to 2027, with The Ministry of Primary Industries’ Sustainable Food and Fibre Futures (SFF Futures) contributing $13 million and Puro the remainder.
This investment is a strong vote of confidence in Puro, our team, and the wider medicinal cannabis industry in New Zealand and will enable Puro to invest in infrastructure, people and systems. It means we can:
It will allow Puro to:
- accelerate our work developing unique cultivars and seed stock for the New Zealand industry.
- develop advanced organic cultivation methods and publish a handbook that will be invaluable for Puro and our industry.
- pursue contract growing arrangements.
- increase production, invest in infrastructure and increase what we can supply to local and international buyers.
- invest in post-harvest processing and waste-stream utilisation technology to improve efficiency and sustainability.
- create more jobs and invest in upskilling the workforce.
Ultimately, it will provide New Zealand patients with greater access to high quality, locally grown and manufactured medicine and pave the way for international export success.