The largest marijuana producers in the world
You might have wondered who the largest marijuana producers in the world are. Today's interesting article will introduce these countries. You might be surprised. Let's first look at the Republic of South Africa (RSA).
RSA ranks not only among the largest producers but also consumers, as a significant portion of marijuana remains on the domestic market. It also consumes marijuana from Lesotho, a landlocked state in Southern Africa. Its only neighbor is RSA. Although Lesotho is among the poorest countries in the world, marijuana represents a very important source of income, alongside international aid and money from mining companies.
Although marijuana is grown throughout Southern Africa, there are four areas that can be said to be directly focused on marijuana production as the most significant source of income. These include KwaZulu-Natal, Eastern Cape, Swaziland, and Lesotho. Plantations are mainly oriented towards valleys with rivers and streams and where irrigation systems are distributed. Another major supplier from African countries is Nigeria or Congo.
Mexico
This federal republic located on the American continent is another huge cannabis producer. Around 7,000 tons of cannabis are produced here annually. In 2011, the largest plantation ever found was liquidated here. It covered an area of almost 120 hectares. The marijuana grown on it was estimated to be worth 2.8 billion crowns. Mexico is the largest marijuana supplier to the US market.
Paraguay
At first glance an unassuming landlocked state in South America ranks second in marijuana production and has become a transit state for cocaine transported to Brazil and Europe. It borders Argentina, Brazil, and Bolivia. Small planes from Bolivia and Colombia land on large ranches. Smugglers often drop cargo directly from the air into fields or onto roads. Trucks are already waiting to load the cargo and drive through an unguarded border directly into Brazil. It's not uncommon for smugglers to transport goods across borders on motorcycles or even on foot.
Morality here is quite strange. Parents encourage their children to become smugglers, saying they'll earn a lot of money. Most growers come from poor backgrounds and cultivate their plants in nature reserves and private forests near where they live. Marijuana grown in Paraguay is in high demand primarily because of its high potency. Moreover, the soil in this country has ideal conditions for cultivation, so yields are more than good.
Morocco
It is one of the main marijuana producers for Southern and Western Europe. Morocco is a state located in Northwest Africa. Marijuana is grown here on tens of thousands of hectares in the Rif Mountains (part of the Atlas Mountains). Morocco is economically dependent on marijuana production, so if it were legalized in Europe, it would mean a total catastrophe for Morocco. The government is tolerant of cultivation for personal use but considers the production of hashish and trade in soft drugs illegal.
Afghanistan
It ranks among the world's number one in cannabis production. Each year, it grows cannabis on an area of 10,000-24,000 hectares in 17 of 34 provinces. It boasts enormous yields of 145 kg per hectare compared to Morocco, where it is 40 kg per hectare. Cannabis is most grown in the southern part of the country. One of the reasons cited for such extensive cultivation is low labor costs and huge yields. The net yield per hectare of cannabis is estimated at 3,341 dollars.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is famous primarily for flower production. Everyone surely associates the Netherlands with tulips. However, what brings the Dutch more money is the cannabis market. The Dutch government states that its producers earn two billion euros annually (which is half of the country's total agricultural product trade).
And where does the grown marijuana go? Mainly to countries like England, Belgium, Germany, Scandinavia, and the Baltic states.
Around 500 tons of marijuana are exported from the country annually. Marijuana remains on the domestic market for about 400,000 users, with the remaining 80% of production intended for export.
And how is the Czech Republic doing? According to police findings, indoor cannabis cultivation is increasing. In the last year alone, 199 plantations were discovered and over 90,000 plants were seized. The estimated production of these plantations is around 7 tons annually. Most goods are intended for the domestic market, with the remainder exported to Hungary, Great Britain, Ukraine, and Nordic countries. The Vietnamese minority has the largest share in cannabis production in the country.
Although the cultivation and subsequent smuggling of marijuana across borders is strictly punished, these people still risk and export huge quantities of plants on which they earn billions.
Smuggling networks are very well organized, and their detection is challenging, which is why this illegal trade prospers.