By ‘Majirata Latela
Communities that have leased their fields for cannabis production by some companies in Lesotho have expressed mixed feelings about the status of their welfare since the companies began investing in the industry.
In Lesotho, cannabis was previously regulated under the Dangerous Medicines Act of 1973, which was superseded by the Drugs of Abuse Act of 2008 which allowed the government to provide access to specific drugs for medical and scientific purposes. A decade later, the country became the first in Africa to change existing legislation and de-criminalise the cultivation of cannabis for medical use. The new law came into effect the following year through the Drug of Abuse (Cannabis) Regulations Act of 2018; licenses cost M500,000 and are issued by the Lesotho Narcotics Board.
The legal changes have spawned a burgeoning industry of legal cannabis companies, and landowners have benefitted from leasing out fields to these companies. This also resulted in new job opportunities for local communities.
Some of these companies are Highlands Pure and MG Health (formerly Medigrow), which invested in cannabis growing in the districts of Berea and Thaba-Tseka respectively in the years 2019 and 2018.
Some of the community members in Ha Letsoela in Berea and Marakabei in Thaba-Tseka strongly feel cheated over the leasing out of their crop fields.
Others say the plantations have brought a new breath of life in their residences as they are able to earn some much needed income from the firms as some locals have been employed at the plantation sites.
In his 2019/2019 budget speech, then finance minister Moeketsi Majoro said legalising the production of cannabis was the country’s new hope for economic growth labelling the industry a wonderful initiative.
“Government has tapped into a new emerging agricultural market of producing medical cannabis for exportation and processing. The ministries of health, agriculture and food security as well as that of trade and Industry have joined hands to make this wonderful initiative a success,” he emphasized.
The chief of Ha Letsoela, Moifo Letsoela observed that ever since the arrival of cannabis companies the lives of the people around the area have changed for the better. This despite a thread of some challenges arising since Highlands Pure began operations.
He said villagers employed at the plantation are now able to generate income to feed their families. Before that, he argued, some of them survived on handouts but are now independent.
“With the monthly income gotten from the cannabis company they are now able to feed their families,” he noted.
“Even though its only people who have their fields rented to the company working there it is important to note that their earnings make a difference in their families’ livelihoods
“Also some of the fields which the company has hired are the fields which were no longer ploughed for years and paying them for the property which was barren is an economic initiative that goes a long way to alleviate poverty,” he suggested.
“I have truly seen many people’s lives change for the better ever since the opening of this cannabis company. Some of our villagers get money by renting out their houses to accommodate strange workers coming from other dwellings,” Letsoela remarked.
He said a sizeable number of residents have established tuckshops and bars which sell some goods to those employed at the production site and thus bringing in some family income.
In another instance, theReporter newspaper also interviewed the people who live around the Magical Dragon Medical Cannabinoid products in Thaba-Bosiu on the impact of the company’s operations in their area.
One ‘Mamatseliso Molelle which lives close to the firm showed that one of their members said he got employment at the site. He had long been out of a job and was one of the lucky ones who were employed permanently.
Unlike him, others were temporarily employed.
Since then, Molelle added, her family life has changed due to his next of kin’s monthly earnings enabling them to put some bread on the table daily.
She said the man is the sole breadwinner who has also been able to establish a bricklaying business after being employed at the cannabis frim. Of the sole bread winner, the family said:
“He is now involved in bricklaying business which has employed two people. The two are also able to feed their families from their pay,” said the family.
One ‘Mabohlokoa Mapetla who owns a tuck-shop in the village around the community said she realised that many people’s lives have changed ever since the arrival of the company in their midst. and since she was one of the people who never got lucky to hired in the company, he decided to open a tuck -shop.
She said her business is doing very well as she makes a minimum of M200.00 every day. She believes if the company was there, the idea of opening a tuck-shop could have not hit her mind as many people in community are either unemployed or working far away from home.
Although the cannabis company seem to be helping the economies of people around them to grow, there are also complaints from people who have rented their fields to the companies and those who are working in the companies.
Last week the publication reported that the Ha Letsoela villagers demanded that Highlands Pure increase the fields rental fees from M200 monthly to M5 000 per hectare of land.
The people in this village are in a 60-year contract with Highlands Pure to allow the company to grow cannabis, and the contract is up for review every 10 years.
One local media house has recently reported that affected villagers were complaining of medical cannabis producer, MG Health accusing it of dishing just a meagre pay for their rented crop fields. They said they were paid as little as M84 per month per hectare of land occupied.
Villagers who have found employment at the medical cannabis also allege MG Health has reneged on promises to pay them at least M4000 salaries each per month.
The locals say the below market compensation rates for their land and the woefully inadequate wages have left them worse off than they were when they used their land to grow their own crops.
The African Development Bank indicates that the developmental impacts of the current transformations in cannabis production taking place in Lesotho are very much in their early stages and clearly much remains to be explored.
One area of potential research is assessing the political factors that led to the decision to legalise medical cannabis production, as well as an in-depth analysis of the national and international stakeholders and decision-making behind partnerships.
Certainly, it is questionable whether the Lesotho government is acting with due regard for its most vulnerable rural households, who have now long depended on cannabis cultivation to support themselves.
