Top US company checks out local farms

Owner of one of the United States most prolific hydroponics nutrient and cannabis fertilizer companies says he is one step closer to setting up a marijuana farm in Barbados.

Chief Executive Officer and owner of Advanced Nutrients Ltd., Michael Straumietis, has been exploring the possibility of setting up a farm on the island, and has already indicated his interest in hiring Barbadians.

Straumietis, better known as BigMike, recently visited the island and announced on his Instagram page that he was looking at the possibility of growing a special strain of the drug for medicinal purposes.

“We are headed to Barbados. We are looking at the possibility of getting a licence there and growing some great equatorial sativa strains,” he said in the two-minute video posted five days ago.

He did not disclose what size farm he was planning on setting up, but announced that he was visiting three different farm locations, one of which he said had some 2,000 square feet of building that he could use.

“We are going out to look at three different farms. The big mission is to bring legalised medical cannabis to the island of Barbados and to grow the best damn weed this island has ever seen,” he said.

Without naming the farms visited, he said one of them had “good water and good hydration”.

BigMike, who has 2.6 million followers on his official Instagram page, could be seen in the video tilling some top soil at one farm and exclaiming “worms, good!”.

“We got worms, we got action here,” he added before stating a part of what he could do with the location “and hire locals”.

Declaring that the areas visited were good place for cannabis growing, he added “This is some good rich top soil on this property out here. This is good stuff.”

“This would be one heck of an opportunity to grow cannabis here. It would be a great place also to give cannabis farm tours. So, yeah,” he added.

The Medical Cannabis Licensing Authority is expected to start processing cannabis licence applications from as early as next month.

Authorities have already indicated that there was growing interest in the medical cannabis industry here from players in several countries.

In his Instagram post, BigMike said “We are one step closer to legalising medical cannabis and growing equatorial sativa strains there. I am once again expanding and not planning on stopping anytime soon. Like I always say, my goal is to make cannabis an acceptable and everyday part of healing humanity.”

Advanced Nutrients, founded in 1999, has the first cannabis-specific nutrient line in the world, and has a presence in over 100 countries, with annual revenue topping just over US$105 million.

BigMike, an entrepreneur, is the owner of the cannabis line BigMike’s Blends, which is grown in his approximately US$30 million lab and production facility in California.

(marlonmadden@barbadostoday.bb)