St. Kitts and Nevis secures safe and accountable world class Seed-to-Sale Track and Trace System for Medicinal Cannabis Industry.
The St. Kitts and Nevis Medicinal Cannabis Authority (MCA) in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Marine Resources, is proud to announce a monumental milestone in the development of a national medicinal cannabis sector. Minister of Agriculture, Hon. Samal Duggins noted that the official execution of a contract to implement a state-of-the-art Seed-to-Sale Track and Trace System represents a definitive leap forward in fulfilling the Government’s commitment to building a safe, transparent, world-class medicinal cannabis industry that prioritizes patient health, economic diversification, and strict regulatory compliance.
CEO of the Medicinal Cannabis Authority, Nadiv Mills, explained that the newly procured tracking software from internationally renowned Canadian service provider Growers IQ will monitor every stage of the supply chain, from initial cultivation and processing to distribution and retail sale. This technology ensures total operational integrity across the sector. It will provide supply chain transparency through a comprehensive real-time tracking of every plant, batch, and processed product to prevent illicit diversion and ensure product purity.
The CEO also thanked other track and trace service providers who over recent months provided different options to the Authority. He expressed, “without their valuable interventions we would not have arrived to where we are today.”
The system will assist compliance of stakeholders as it pertains to data integrity for trade. This includes immutable transaction logs required for regional compliance and potential future export markets, adhering to international legal standards.
Attorney Saboto Caesar acting in his capacity as banking and finance advisor to the emerging industry explained that the acquisition of this system satisfies a legislative prerequisite and from a banking standpoint bridges the gap between industry operations and commercial banking requirements. This ensures that we can safely go beyond the “seed to sale” jurisprudential mandate to establishing a veritable “seed to bank” platform. Caesar recently completed an in-country visit where he interviewed stakeholders within the financial services sector and critical regulatory stakeholders.
Caesar further noted that, “in establishing this track and trace system to provide uncompromised financial and operational oversight, will meet international standards set by commercial banks and financial institutions for complete transparency and strict anti-money laundering (AML) compliance before providing financial services to cannabis businesses. The adoption of this digital track and trace software directly addresses those banking criteria, offering financial partners the verifiable audit trails necessary to engage with confidence.”
The Board of the MCA continues to advance that with the deployment of this robust track and trace framework, they are providing banking partners, local entrepreneurs, and international stakeholders absolute confidence that St. Kitts and Nevis is building an industry grounded in international best practice, financial transparency, and economic sustainability.
Minister Duggins expressed thanks to the Board of the MCA, Dr. Machel Emanuel – technical consultant, and all other stakeholders who have laboured to bring us to this point of success.
He concluded that “The implementation of the track and trace system sets the foundation for the structured rollout of commercial licensing, patient registration, and research initiatives. Our local producers will be trained in the use of the system. As the Ministry continues to advance the Sustainable Island State agenda, the establishment of a well-regulated medicinal cannabis sector promises new agricultural opportunities, job creation, and sustainable economic returns for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis.”
