A hemp producer located in Uruguay, CPLANT, sent half a ton of hemp flower to Switzerland, passing first through Germany. The shipment marks the first large shipment of hemp to Europe for the country.
The 442-kilogram shipment contained low-THC hemp flower, being sent on July 17 with a listed price of $81,668 or about $185 per kilogram. Switzerland successfully received the shipment earlier this week.
This marks the country’s first hemp shipment, but not the first cannabis one, with a 1.5-ton shipment being sent to Portugal two month’s earlier by Fotmer Life Sciences. Uruguay was the first country to legalize marijuana recreationally, five years ago, but the country has just begun efforts to develop a strong hemp industry.
Company officials worked with their government counterparts to get the shipment moved across borders. Germany only allows industrial hemp that is less than 0.2% THC but allowed the shipment to pass through to Switzerland, which has a limit of 1%.
“Our company has the infrastructure to do the processing of the material, to dry the product, to pack the product – and we have the clients, too,” said Lucas Crivilone, CEO and co-founder of CPLANT. “So we help the small producers here in Uruguay.”
CPLANT plans to send a lot more hemp abroad this year. They hope to sell 14 tons of hemp flower this year. Out of that, 10 tons would be from their own production, and 4 tons would be produced from other small producers in the country. The eventual plan is for the company to be shipping 1-2 tons of the plant per week.
“Our prices are lower than what they can reach in Europe or America,” said Crivilone. “We have a big portfolio across Europe, and we see a huge demand for this product.”
