Canadian agribusiness Richardson International has announced an investment to double the processing capacity of its canola crush plant in Yorkton, Saskatchewan.
Construction work at the site will begin immediately and is expected to be completed in early 2024, with no disruption to current operations.
In addition to increasing the plant’s annual processing capacity to 2.2 million metric tonnes of seed, the investment aims to modernise the facility and create further operational efficiencies.
The project – which follows a recent CAD 120 million ($95.3 million approx.) investment at Richardson’s Lethbridge, Alberta crush plant – comes in response to growing global demand for canola oil and canola meal products.
When completed, the Yorkton facility will feature a high-speed shipping system with three 9,500-foot loop tracks, as well as three high-speed receiving lanes.
“The global outlook for Canadian canola oil is promising, and this latest investment emphasises our ongoing commitment to best-in-class facilities,” said Darrell Sobkow, senior vice-president, processing, food and ingredients at Richardson.
“Yorkton lies right in the heart of canola country and we are focused on providing our producer customers with increasingly efficient means for meeting the needs of a growing global consumptive market.”
Richardson says that there will be ‘significant’ opportunities for employment within the local area during the construction phase, and upon completion, it expects to add full-time positions to the plant.
Keith Belitski, Richardson’s director, operations at Yorkton, added: “This state-of-the-art facility represents a good news story for all industry participants – for our producer customers and end-use buyers across North America and abroad.
“A construction project of this magnitude will be significant, economically, to the province of Saskatchewan, the city of Yorkton, and surrounding areas.”
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