Mildura cannabis facility gets approval with commercial crop expected later this year

Mildura’s $130 million-dollar cannabis facility has been given the green light with plans for it to eventually become the biggest in Australia.

Mildura’s $130 million-dollar cannabis facility has been given the green light with plans for it to eventually become the biggest in Australia.

Cann Group Limited announced the company’s new state-of-the-art production facility in Mildura had been granted the necessary permit to allow commercial cultivation activities to start by the Office of Drug Control (ODC).

The first commercial crop is predicted to be cultivated by June this year.

The new permit allows for cultivation and production of medicinal cannabis and research activities in relation to medicinal cannabis.

Cann’s CEO Peter Crock said it was a huge jump in the company’s history and was the result of a lot of hard work.

“The completion of works in the cultivation areas and our transition into commercial production activity is a major milestone for Cann. Along with the granting of the ODC permits, it represents a tremendous achievement on the part of our project two development and regulatory teams,” he said.

Peter Crock, CEO of Cann Group, in the new Mildura Facility which has just been given the green light to start production. Picture: Supplied

Part of the facility which is expected to start production later this year. Supplied

This announcement is the first stage in plans to make this facility the largest cannabinoid production facility in Australia. It will deliver an annual dry flower capacity of 12,500kg but the plan is to expand to a capacity of 50,000kg.

“We have been able to get it done in budget and not too long after we had planned. Having the green light to go now means we can press go and we are ready to move,” Mr Crock said.

The first commercial crop is expected to be harvested by June 2022.

“We should have plants in there by next week,” Mr Crock said.

Mr Crock is proud a facility like this now exists in Australia so the medical field can continue to use and learn more about this drug.

“Getting this facility is critical for Australian patients.”

“The ultimate goal of this facility is to make sure Australian patients have access to affordable medicine that is grown and trusted to meet the Australian requirements,” Mr Crock said.

The Mildura facility is the most technologically advanced, large-scale medicinal cannabis cultivation and production facility in Australia. The cultivation area incorporates a closed system micro climate-controlled glasshouse to optimise plant growth cycles and multiple integrated automation systems including state-of-the-art lighting, water filtration and tables which position the plants in the best possible spot.

Inside the Mildura Cann group facility. Picture: Supplied

“Our investment in new technology and scale will generate important benefits, including cost efficiencies that will help make Cann globally competitive. As we ramp up commercial production, we will expand our market development activities with the aim of quickly growing our customer and revenue base, capitalising on the scale, cost and quality benefits that Mildura provides,” Mr Crock said.