His SafriCanna company started production in South Africa in July, but an initial facility has proved to be too small to meet demand with all the 2023 production already sold. The “huge demand” has come from countries including Germany, Italy and Australia, Haidar says. “I underestimated the market size.”
That has prompted Haidar to start work on a new plant five times the size with a production capacity of 30 tonnes. The company has 100 cannabis farmers now, which Haidar expects to rise to 600 when the new facility is completed in 2024. The initial facility is at Centurion, Gauteng which has an optimal altitude for cannabis at 1500 metres, and the new plant will be built next door. Centurion has 280 sunny days a year and its dry climate favours cannabis production.
Haidar, born in Nigeria to Lebanese parents, has a range of businesses operating in fintech, logistics and telecoms. His
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