A major expansion is moving ahead at Aphria.
The Leamington-based cannabis producer has received a license amendment from Health Canada, clearing the way to begin using a new 800,000 thousand-square foot production centre. It's phase four and phase five of the company's expansion of its' main production facility in the town.
Aphria Receives Health Canada License Amendment, Approving Fully Expanded Production at Aphria One https://t.co/xWOX1rvbVI pic.twitter.com/3u7WHsczsz
— aphria (@aphriainc) March 4, 2019
In a release, the company states it will move to establish nearly 22,000 plants in the production facility by this Friday (March 8) with another 12,000 plants added each week until they reach full crop rotation.
"This is a major milestone for Aphria on its path to becoming a leading global cannabis producer, as well as a positive development greatly anticipated by the Canadian cannabis industry," said Irwin D. Simon, Interim CEO of Aphria. "Aphria's progress expanding production and automation is essential to our strategy of securing scale and long-term advantages that enable the evolution of the cannabis industry through product and brand innovation. With Aphria One, we now have the ability to expand our production capacity by over three times."
Once full crop rotation begins, Aphria says 80,000 kg (176,369 pounds) of marijuana will be produced each year in the phase four and phase five portion of the facility.
That will bring total production at the main facility in Leamington to 110,000 kg (242,508 pounds) per year.