South Africa is on the verge of a fully regulated and operational legal Cannabis and Hemp Market. Since the Constitutional Court Ruling in September 2018. Various role players have entered the market some offering multiple products. Due to legislative barriers, certain requirements have been put in place to ensure the sustainable development of this market in South Africa and thus has attempted with great success preventing the spread of Legal produce on the illegal market. With these regulatory barriers in place, it effectively opens up a credible South African Cannabis Market to the International Cannabis Market for highly sought after South African Cannabis products.
Over the last three years, PSL Training held discussions with various organisations to determine the value of the cannabis industry in South Africa. There was agreement that the plant could make an agricultural, commercial, medicinal, and environmental contribution to the country’s economy and at the end of 2021, PSL Training alongside our industry partners (DICLA Training Farms, Boabab Training Group and ODB NPC), officially launched the NQF Level 4 course on Medicinal Cannabis Plant Production. This is an AgriSETA accredited skills programme which awards successful students with a nationally recognised certificate of competency.
AgriSETA accreditation process
The cannabis course was introduced after collaboration with other established agricultural training providers and although it is linked to general cultivation, it is considered a more specialised area. PSL also felt the need to distinguish between the cannabis THC-rich plant which is exclusively for medicinal and recreational purposes, and its industrial counterpart, the cannabis hemp plant.
Currently, medicinal cannabis and hemp cannabis are regulated by two different governmental bodies because of their different uses and applications. Hence there are two separate courses accredited by AgriSETA.
PSL course
PSL’s course is designed to provide students with a basic understanding of crop cultivation using multiple techniques, methodologies and environments. Additional courses will shortly be rolled out, providing more specialised options that cover specific cultivation methods.
In the current course, unit standards are broken down into the following modules:
*overview of the industry structure;
*implementation of soil fertility and plant nutrition practices;
*basic understanding of the physiological processes in plant growth and development;
*harvesting plans for the specific agricultural crop;
*cannabis production in a hydroponic system;
*plant propagation in a variety of situations.
The course is both theoretical and practical, as defined by the unit standard. PSL is working towards upgrading and expanding the campus in order to house sample areas that simulate real world cultivation techniques and environments. These include hydroponics, aquaponics, aeroponics, living soil, indoor, outdoor, tunnel and traditional cultivation. Currently, the basics are in place for simulation and outdoor cultivation.
Once students have received their certificate of competency, they have the required foundation that allows them to work within the cannabis industry either in private or commercial settings. The AgriSETA NQF level 4 accreditation provides a solid foundation, giving students the basic skills that introduce them to full scale plant cultivation. With this understanding of the holistic supply chain, they have sufficient knowledge to start on small scale farming endeavours, and further study is encouraged.
Focus of the campus
The general concept and focus of the campus is to create awareness and serve as a primary hub for education, research and development. The Campus currently serves as a central, collaborative space for industry specialists to gather and participate in research and development for the purpose of standardising the training programmes that are being introduced in South Africa. And is ideally located as the Vaal or Southern Corridor has been earmarked for Cannabis development by the government.
This will ensure that the emerging markets of cannabis and industrial hemp contribute at an educational level as well as from the point of view of sustainability, job creation and poverty upliftment.
Dries Swanepoel, marketing manager at PSL Training, says that little is known about this fast-growing industry, and legislation is changing in order to accommodate it.
“PSL is an educational platform and basis for all citizens, whether newcomers or specialists, in both the public and private sectors. The educational aspect will also address entrepreneurs who start growing cannabis without proper knowledge and who later find out that it is a highly regulated sphere. Currently we are focussing on informing the healthcare industry because of the medicinal value of the plant, as well as other industries for the commercial value of research and development.”
Information and photos supplied by Dries Swanepoel 016 100 7000 or send us a mail below to admin@psltraining.co.za