Today, Premier Scott Moe joined André Roth, Global Head of Grains & Oilseeds for Louis Dreyfus Company (LDC) and Brian Conn, LDC’s Country Manager for Canada, to celebrate the official start of the project to expand the company’s canola crushing facility in Yorkton.
“It’s a great day as we celebrate the next step in LDC’s expansion,” Moe said. “Canola is a key part of our provincial economy and Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan, that is why we’re committed to increasing canola crushing in our province to 75 per cent by 2030. This expansion project will put us on track to exceed that goal, which means more jobs and opportunities for the great people of our province.”
Saskatchewan’s record-breaking international exports are driven in part by value-added agricultural products like canola oil. Expansions like this give the province an opportunity to set new benchmarks for economic growth in Canada. When complete, the facility will have a crush capacity of over two million metric tons, more than double its current capacity. LDC initially opened the facility in 2009, and currently employs approximately 120 people.
“We are very excited to break ground on our expansion works at Yorkton – a strategic investment that supports the Group’s strategic growth plans and our ongoing commitment to provide nourishment for people and livestock, as well as feedstock for renewable energy production,” LDC’s André Roth said. “We look forward to pursuing this important work with our local team and in collaboration with our stakeholders – in Canada and globally.”
The expansion of LDC’s facility brings the province closer to multiple key goals outlined in Saskatchewan’s Growth Plan, including:
- Grow private capital investment in Saskatchewan to $16 billion annually;
- Increase the value of exports by 50 per cent;
- Grow Saskatchewan’s agri-food exports to $20 billion; and
- Increase agriculture value-added revenue to $10 billion.
Canola oil and canola seed were among Saskatchewan’s top agri-food exports in 2022, with a value of $3.5 billion and $2.7 billion, respectively. Canola oil was also the third largest export product to the United States in 2022, which saw a record $29.3 billion in exports to the nation.
For more information on the Saskatchewan Growth Plan, visit saskgrowthplan.ca.
(Saskatchewan Government news release)
