India Awards First Public Funding for Cannabis Research in More Than 50 Years

NEW DELHI – The Indian government has awarded public funding to a Cannabis genetics project, the first such grant to a private company since the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act took effect in 1985.

Delta Botanicals & Research, a Bhubaneswar-based firm, received the support through the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare under the Prime Minister’s Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana National Farmers Development Scheme. The agri-business incubation center at Indira Gandhi Krishi Vishwavidyalaya is backing the effort.

The multi-year initiative centers on phenotyping and genotyping Cannabis landraces collected from the Himalayas and Odisha. Researchers will run controlled cultivation trials to produce stable seed varieties suitable for industrial hemp and medical Cannabis that meet current regulatory standards. The work addresses a long-standing issue: inconsistent genetics that have complicated standardization of extracts and limited commercial scaling.

Vikramm Mitra, co-founder and managing director of Delta Botanicals, described the grant’s focus in clear terms. “If we can solve the genetics problem, it changes everything,” he said. “Without stable genetics, you cannot standardize extracts, and without standardization, you cannot build a pharmaceutical market. This is about building the foundation of India’s entire Cannabis industry.” He added that the effort starts with the plant itself: “The pharmaceutical journey does not begin in the laboratory. It begins with the plant.”

India maintains a deep traditional connection to Cannabis, used for centuries in Ayurvedic preparations known as Vijaya. Federal law has tightly restricted research and cultivation for decades, though a handful of states have opened limited pathways for hemp. Variable raw material quality has remained a practical obstacle for both growers and processors.

The grant stands out for its emphasis on applied agronomy rather than downstream product claims. By generating verifiable data on how specific varieties perform under Indian growing conditions, the project supplies regulators and companies with facts they can use to refine policy and production protocols. Outcomes over the next 3-5 years will show whether this foundation supports expanded licensed cultivation and more consistent supply chains. For now, the move signals a measured official interest in closing the gap between historical practice and modern standards.