The first-ever export shipment of Israeli cannabis seeds has left for the US according to a statement from the Agriculture Ministry this week.
The Ministry has marked the move as a major step toward becoming a global pioneer in the field.
Efforts to arrange the “experimental and initial” shipment, which departed on Tuesday night, have been ongoing for the past year.
The cargo contained seeds from the local BetterSeeds company, which has a research license from the Health Ministry.
According to the ministry, they will be examined on arrival “to verify their suitability for the US market.”
“Israel has the ability to make its mark [on the industry] and be among the world’s leaders,” Agriculture Minister Oded Forer said in the statement.
“The export of cannabis seeds invites us to expand the diversity of Israeli agricultural exports and strengthens local agriculture,” Forer said. It also “exploits Israel’s relative advantage in an area that is still considered preliminary.”
If all goes well, “contacts will be held regarding the continuation of the export,” the ministry said. It “could lead to the opening of additional international markets for Israeli exports and significantly advance the medical cannabis industry in Israel.
“Increasing the range of exports and expanding it to cannabis products will enable the deepening of existing markets and penetration into new markets while riding on the growing wave of demand for cannabis products with medical-health value,” it added.
Last August the government amended its medical cannabis export rules to allow for the export of cannabis seeds.
