The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAG) has issued 57 licenses for the cultivation and production of hemp derivatives. The first license was granted on November 8, 2022 and the last on September 3, 2024. These licenses are valid for six years. According to MAG data, most licenses were issued in San José and Guanacaste.

After the law authorizing the cultivation of hemp came into force at the beginning of 2022, the company Ingenio Taboga obtained the first permit. Two public universities, Universidad Nacional (UNA) and Tecnológico de Costa Rica (TEC), also applied for licenses to conduct research.

UNA was the first educational institution to obtain such a license in August 2023. From then on, MAG informed that the university would focus on research, aimed at studying the development and properties of components of hemp. Among other objectives, the research aimed to validate techniques for modulating physiological processes in hemp cultivation, based on two varieties from Canada.

“Right now, we’re just getting started. What is clear is that as state, business and academic actors collaborate more effectively, we will be able to catalyze the process and move forward much more quickly,” said Jorge Herrera, vice-rector of research at UNA.

UNA has signed an agreement with “Más Verde”, a company dedicated to the development of the hemp industry in Costa Rica. The goal is to create and implement the necessary infrastructure to boost hemp production in Costa Rica. Subsequently, companies from other countries will establish themselves in the country (mainly in Guanacaste and the southern zone) to transform the harvest yield, operating according to the free trade zone model.

Roy Thompson, president of the Chamber of Hemp and Cannabis, noted growth in the number of licenses issued but stressed that the country is still far from reaching the goal set in the law of 10,000 licenses.

“What I believe is that you have to walk before you run. We need to build testing and processing infrastructure so that different players and companies can integrate into the system and produce according to standards and requirements,” he said.

Thompson also noted that current hemp production in the country is very low. These small projects, covering two or three hectares, are mainly focused on oil production or CBD extraction for medicinal purposes.