The ‘sky’s the limit’ for value-added agriculture: Wall
Premier encourages successor to set big goals to leverage $4B-a-year sector
Saskatchewan’s outgoing premier says whoever succeeds him should aim to radically increase the province’s value-added agricultural exports, because “the sky’s the limit” as the world grapples with food security issues.
Brad Wall, in one of his final public appearances as premier, said it’s not unrealistic to imagine the $4-billion-a-year sector, which includes 300 companies employing 5,000 people, could double in size over the next decade.
“We’re the leaders, undisputed world leaders in this so we should be adding more value as we are now and set big goals — let’s double the exports within the next 10 years, and I expect we would be able to meet that goal,” Wall told reporters in Saskatoon.
In 2016, the last year for which data are available, Saskatchewan exported $26.5 billion worth of goods and services, of which agricultural products accounted for about $14 billion, according to the Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership.
Speaking on behalf of the federal agriculture minister, Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said while Saskatchewan will be a major exporter of raw commodities for a long time, adding value boosts exports and creates jobs.
“This kind of innovation in something that plays to our natural strength in agriculture is just a perfect fit for Saskatchewan,” Goodale said moments after announcing a $17.5-million funding package for the Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc.
The Food Centre is a non-profit supported by government at the University of Saskatchewan. The $17.5 million will be used to expand its new Agri-Food Innovation Centre. The funding is split between the federal and provincial governments, and industry groups.
Food Centre president Dan Prefontaine said the new facility is aimed at helping companies, from local operations to massive multinational firms, develop new food-based products and get them into the marketplace.
One example is Verdient Foods Inc., a Vanscoy-based pulse processing company launched last year by filmmaker James Cameron and his wife, environmental activist and former actor Suzy Amis Cameron. It is expected to become North America’s largest organic pea plant.
“(Companies are) looking at ingredients, and some of those ingredients are grown here in Saskatchewan (with) value-added processes in Saskatchewan. Pulses are a very good example of that,” Prefontaine said, referring to crops such as peas and lentils.
“Companies are starting to put more protein into their products. Some of the protein used to be traditionally soy; now they’re coming to pulses … We take the pulse protein and we formulate and manufacture a product so that it fits into their system, so they can use it.”
Wall said the value-added food sector’s growth over the last decade has been “remarkable,” creating both direct and indirect employment in the province — and helping the province diversify its economy beyond raw commodity production and extraction.
While many have raised concerns about Saskatchewan’s ability to export goods should the U.S. withdraw from the North American Free Trade Agreement, Goodale downplayed the threat of the 24-year-old deal’s dissolution.
“We need to keep our eye on the ball, eye on the objective, stay at the table, stay persistent and remember what’s at stake here.”