CPlant Cannabis Company Looks To Paraguay For Cheaper Production And Manufacturing

As cannabis is beginning to be treated more like an agricultural commodity, the race is on to find the best climate and most economical place to grow it. In South America, a new candidate is emerging: Paraguay, so reported Bloomberg.

And medical cannabis exporter CPlant is looking to acquire a licensed producer in Paraguay as soon as possible to start production of THC-rich flowers, said Cplant's CEO Lucas Crivilone.

As a vertically integrated company since 2019, CPlant offers end-to-end service. “We work with growers, provide them with genetics, advice, drying, conditioning and sales to wholesalers and retailers. We handle inflorescences, feminized seeds, edible grains and make biomass for extraction," Crivilone told El Planteo in an interview.

Lower Operating Costs And Inexpensive Electricity

The company already produces cannabis for CBD in Uruguay. However, if cannabis prices keep falling, CPlant may shift most of its farming from Uruguay to Paraguay, where operating costs are 50% lower. “If Paraguayan regulations work for us, and market prices allow us to have a substantially higher profit margin in Paraguay than Uruguay, we would aim to do our farming in Paraguay,” Crivilone noted.

Marijuana production in Paraguay for medical purposes is limited to 12 local investors. Inexpensive electricity, low wages and an established pharmaceutical industry provide the South American country with a good opportunity to compete with pot-friendly countries such as Colombia.

CPlant is also lobbying the Uruguayan government to authorize the production and export of psilocybin mushrooms for medical purposes. 

“Our focus now is retail products and other compounds such as THC and psilocybin mushrooms,” Crivilone added.

The company's CSO, Guido Husni, agrees that THC and psilocybin mushrooms have a bright future.

“We are convinced that this will be the dominant model,” Husni said. 

Photo Courtesy of CPlant.