African agricultural development company Lotus Ecoculture Limited (“Lotus”) has officially partnered with PhytoSciences GmbH (“Phytosciences”), to craft, cultivate and deliver premium medical cannabis products, launching with 250 hectares in Malawi using their cultivation and processing-as-a-service model.
With the value of the European medical cannabis market predicted to reach USD 98 billion by 2025, Lotus Ecoculture is poised to provide this rapidly expanding market with EU GMP-compliant products. As clinical research drives the cannabis market towards medicinal and wellness applications, investment is rolling into sub-Saharan Africa, which benefits from an ideal climate for cultivation, lower production costs, and the arable land to cultivate at scale.
Developing Quality Cannabis products out of Africa
PhytoSciences GmbH today announced that it has signed an agreement with Lotus Ecoculture Limited to begin operations in Africa as an entity — GreenLotus Limited (“GreenLotus”) licensed to cultivate, process and export medical cannabis from Malawi.
This partnership brings together the unparalleled crafting, formulation and commercialisation expertise of Phytosciences, and Lotus’ agriculture expertise and business model in Africa. Lotus’ market-bridging capacity is the key to bringing quality-assured cannabis products from Africa to Europe.
With PhytoSciences providing the technical oversight in developing premium cultivation and processing solutions, and Lotus’ growing client roster — GreenLotus is set to deliver cultivation-as-a-service for wholesale off-takers in rapidly expanding European markets.
At Lotus we believe Cannabis is where Agriculture and Healthcare harmonise. “With Europe already representing almost 30% of the global consumption of cannabis-based medicinal and wellness products, we are partnering with Phytosciences to ensure Africa is well positioned to provide regulated quality-assured products to the market as it continues to expand. We are honoured to be working with a world-class organisation to heighten awareness of the therapeutic benefits of cannabis products as the global consciousness of natural treatments comes to the forefront. EU-GMP certification is the gold standard for quality assurance of cannabis production in Europe. With the guidance from Phytosciences, we will craft, cultivate and produce EU-GMP certified Medicinal Cannabis and its derivatives out of Africa.” – Osayi Olotu, Founder, Lotus Ecoculture.
“In Lotus Ecoculture we have found a partner who matches our high level of ambition to establish global standards within the African cannabis sector. Our company is looking forward to working with the Lotus team to develop the scientific and EU-GMP infrastructure necessary to achieve the highest quality and efficacy objectives in the production of cannabis products in Africa. Together we will research, develop, and commercialise laboratory-tested products that alleviate the concerns of governments, regulators and individuals.” – Dr. Pritesh Kumar, Director of PhytoSciences
“I see this opportunity as a bold step towards developing the infrastructure for cannabis production in Africa, and shifting the global acceptance of its therapeutic benefits. We will cultivate these products whilst adhering to all government legislation within the countries in which we operate. With our technical expertise, we will provide support to Lotus in the manufacturing of medicinal cannabis products that meet international GMP standards.”- Eric Okyere Darko, Esq., Continent Director and Head of Legal for PhytoSciences
