August 13, 2022, Prof. Hitoshi Sato, President of Japan Industrial Hemp Association, visited SIAM REIWA (2020) Co.

On Saturday, August 13, 2022, Prof. Hitoshi Sato, President of the Japan Industrial Hemp Association (hereinafter referred to as JIHA), visited SIAM REIWA (2020) Co. SIAM REIWA (2020) is the first hemp company in Thailand (and the first in Southeast Asia) to be officially licensed by the Japanese government to cultivate, import, and sell hemp seeds. (President Koji Fujishiro is a second-generation Japanese American born in Thailand.)

In Thailand, the only country in Southeast Asia to legalize the cannabis industry, an amendment to the Narcotics Control Act was approved on December 25, 2018, allowing the use of cannabis for medical and research purposes, and on January 29, 2021, private companies can also obtain cultivation and import licenses. In this context, REIWA has established itself as a Japanese company with strict quality control in the Thai hemp company industry.

In terms of technology, REIWA’s enclosed indoor cultivation plant was recognized as the best and most exemplary hemp company in Thailand by the Thai Ministry of Health (equivalent to the Ministry of Health in Japan) in December 2021.

The cannabis industry is expanding in Thailand and around the world, but the industry is still in its infancy and faces four major challenges: (1) establishment of quality assurance, (2) establishment of regulatory standards, (3) enhancement of technical knowledge, and (4) improvement of the environment.

In order to solve these and other issues in the future, the JIHA has agreed to cooperate together to introduce superior agricultural technologies, including certification standards, quality standards, and soil improvement, and to educate and enlighten the general public in Thailand on the correct knowledge and how to recognize products in order to protect their health.