Israel’s first cannabis ecosystem to be built in Yeruham

Two hours’ drive from Tel Aviv, Yeruham Mayor Tal Ohana, hopes to fulfill her vision of establishing “Israel’s first cannabis ecosystem” and thus turning the southern city into what she calls “Israel’s cannabis capital.”

The project, called “Greenegev”, will include growing and production facilities, an academy, the “parent” (technology incubator) for investment in projects, a conference center, a visitor center and more – all will be integrated in the city itself, between the residential neighborhoods and Lake Yeruham Park.

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A cannabis ecosystem in the making

The statements that were heard from Ohana’s direction immediately after her victory in the local elections and her election as mayor about a year and a half ago initially met with indifference in the industry. 

For her part, she revealed that from day one she knew that the vision of a cannabinoid ecosystem would indeed become a reality, in part because she received support from the director of the Medical Cannabis Unit (YKR) Yuval Landschaft, who joined the initiative.

Indeed, the conference’s official annual Cannabis Ministry of Health and Hik”r, “Knaan” (Cannaan), Landschaft decided to conduct its second round of April 2021 onwards, as part of the ecosystem in the south. 

Hakar will be a partner, together with Sapir College, in the Cannabis Studies Academy, which will be called “Cann-Academy” and will be established under the management of Boaz Albo, a graduate of agricultural studies who was previously an assistant to Landschaft Bikar and was also a partner in writing the method: “The Green Book”.

Cann-Academy is designed to offer courses and professional training in the fields of quality, security, supply chain and logistics, research and development, and international trade, as well as in agriculture, nature, science, technology, medicine, and more. 

“The courses will be adapted to the medical cannabis industry in the spirit of the medicalization reform and the blessing of the medical cannabis unit,” said Albo, “We will combine all the above-mentioned content together into a world of unique and innovative knowledge.”

Cannegev will support a variety of cannabis projects

Along with the conference center and the academy, the technological incubator has long been established, for investment in startups and ventures in the field. The incubator is called “Cannegev” and it guarantees support of up to $370.000 (NIS 1.25 million) in selected projects, along with guidance and instruction. 

Recently, the Cannegev Incubator published a call for proposals for entrepreneurs who have an innovative idea related to medical cannabis in the fields of biotech, pharma, agtech, cleantech and podtech, in order to present the project.

The Cannegev Incubator is owned by 3 partners: the veteran medical cannabis company BOL Pharma, the fifth largest pharmaceutical and health products company in the world, Perrigo, and the fundraising platform OurCrowd.

The incubator is headed by CEO Israel Birnbaum, who has extensive experience in managing startups and in the fields of biotech, agtech, and medical cannabis. To be accepted, one must present innovation, and proof of feasibility among others.

Medical cannabis will boost Yeruham’s economy

“I see this new market called medical cannabis as an opportunity for a new economy in Yeruham and in Israel in general,” said Mayor Ohana. “I think that like everything else the startup Nation is leading, technology is the essence here, so our first investment was the technology incubator that opened its doors a month ago and is now recruiting dozens of startups for development processes in the medical cannabis world.”

Asked about the future she replied that “My vision is that in Yeruham there will be a whole ecosystem of industry, technology, agriculture, science, and academia in the field of medical cannabis, and slowly we are creating more anchors in reality that will fulfill this vision. We are only at the beginning of the road and invite more and more innovative and Zionist entrepreneurs to join us.”

Hundreds of dunams will soon be marketed in the city for the benefit of growing cannabis and Ohana invites those interested to come and grow.

Part of the “Gringev” complex is intended to establish a factory park that will cover 32 dunams in the first phase, where, according to Ohana, 3 factories will be established in less than a year from now. The first of them will begin construction in the coming months and will cover a built-up area of ​​about 6,000 square meters. 

The plant’s developer, MTB Measurements and Photogrammetry (2001) Ltd., owned by Avi Goldreich, has extensive practical experience in Spain in growing medical cannabis and in the overall production and sale to the Canadian Ministry of Health, she said.

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(Featured image by CoWomen via Pexels)

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