Northern Star by JASMINE BURKE 16th Sep 2019 12:00 AM Subscriber only
THREE medicinal cannabis farms have been touted for the Northern Rivers - in Binna Burra, Casino and Ballina - but with licences still to be approved their construction dates remain a mystery.
The Northern Star takes at where the three big projects are at.
Byron Shire A development application for a "state-of-the-art” $6.5million medical cannabis farm at Binna Burra, near Bangalow has been given the green tick by the council.
The DA was approved by Byron Shire Council earlier this month for four greenhouses and a processing facility on a 3400sq m site lodged by Elixinol Global Limited.
The application states there is estimated employment opportunities for up to 25 staff.The existing three poultry sheds will be demolished.The facility will grow, cultivate, process and produce medical cannabis at its Friday Hut Rd site.
While the facility will be the first in Byron Shire it joins a rapidly growing industry across Australia.
Richmond Valley A medicinal cannabis facility was pitched to Casino in 2017, but despite some setbacks the project is still in the picture for Richmond Valley Council and Australian-owned SANA Nutraceuticals.
A spokeswoman for Richmond Valley Council said Sana Nutraceuticals is waiting upon the Federal Government's Office of Drug Control to determine its application for a licence to establish a medicinal cannabis business on the Northern Rivers.
"Council continues to provide all support it can so this project can proceed given the economic benefits it will provide,” the spokeswoman said.
"There is no clear indication of timing on the determination of this application.”The idea for the project was initially established by Agraflora Organics International (formerly PUF Ventures Inc), but SANA Founder and CEO Michael Horsfall said following an amicable split from the Canadian companies SANA was ready to move forward with its project.
Touted as the "largest medical cannabis facility in the southern hemisphere”, at full scale it will have 11ha under greenhouse conditions with the capacity to support annual production of more than 100,000kg of high-quality cannabis.
This will potentially equate to annual revenue between $800million and $1.1billion.Mr Horsfall said SANA expected to create at least 300 direct and indirect jobs in the Northern Rivers region from its medicinal cannabis greenhouse project.
He said this would provide a significant boost to the local economy, provide education, training and additional pathways and opportunities for people and other businesses in the region.Mr Horsfall said the company was currently in the assessment stage for three licenses with the Federal Government's Office of Drug Control in Canberra.
Ballina Shire Australian company THC Global's plan to grow medicinal cannabis in the Ballina Shire has received a Cannabis Manufacture Licence from the Office of Drug Control.
The licence means THC Global will be able to cultivate its own proprietary strains, process cannabis plant material, and manufacture extracts and tinctures of both plant and resin.
THC Global and its wholly-owned subsidiaries now have all three cannabis production licences required to deliver Australian-grown and manufactured medicinal cannabis products globally.
The medicinal cannabis company is planning to build a 30,000sq m production and manufacturing site in the Ballina Shire.
A series of greenhouses would be built to produce more than 50,000kg of medicinal cannabis annually in the first stage of production.
THC Global is hoping to receive the initial licensing this year to start work on the Ballina Shire site before the end of 2019.
They have not lodged a development application with Ballina Shire Council.
THC Global is already conducting medicinal cannabis cultivation activities at its Strain R&D and Manufacturing Facility in Bundaberg, Queensland.
Some update on the NSW cultivation site... Paid article that i've subscribed to. GLTAHs...
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