Backgrounder: Minister Olszewski announces support for agriculture sector in Saskatchewan

PrairiesCan is investing $4,201,298 for four projects in Saskatchewan through the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program and the Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program.

Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program – $2,100,000

The BSP program supports high-growth businesses that are seeking to improve productivity, scale-up, and commercialize technology. It offers interest-free, repayable funding to incorporated businesses that have been in operation for a minimum of two years.

PrairiesCan announced an investment for one project under BSP:

• Venlaw Manufacturing Ltd. - $2,100,000
  Venlaw is installing novel automation equipment for manufacturing new grain bins in Watson, Saskatchewan. PrairiesCan funding will help Venlaw purchase equipment for the manufacturing scale-up of a roof roll forming and sidewall line, material handling equipment for finished goods preparation, a finished goods cold storage building and costs around export market development. This investment will reduce imports of manufactured products and replace them with Canadian-made products that utilize Canadian steel and local supply chains.

Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program - $2,101,298

The RIE program helps create, grow, and nurture inclusive regional ecosystems. Through RIE, targeted investments in not-for-profit organizations assist businesses in priority sectors to innovate, grow, and compete globally.

PrairiesCan announced investments for three projects under RIE:

• Global Institute for Food Security at the University of Saskatchewan (GIFS) - $1,661,298
  GIFS is developing a genomic selection-based accelerated breeding program that will extend advanced breeding capabilities to companies and breeding organizations, bringing higher-yielding and higher-quality livestock, pulses, and other crops to market quicker. This investment builds on previous support to GIFS, including $2.5 million in 2022 which helped build Canada’s only biomanufacturing facility advancing sustainable agriculture and innovative food ingredients.

• Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc. (Food Centre) - $420,000
  The Food Centre will purchase equipment and renovate their space to increase co-packing capabilities and incubation space for the value-added agriculture sector in the Prairies. PrairiesCan has proudly supported the Food Centre as they have grown over the years to expand food processing in Saskatchewan, including an investment of $1 million in 2023 to enhance their co-packing capacity for agri-food clients.

• Ag-West Bio Inc. - $20,000
  Ag-West Bio is receiving support to deliver the Agri-Value Forum in 2025 and 2026, an event including a conference, workshops, and tours to promote value-added agriculture in Saskatchewan. The Agri-Value Forum has been supported by PrairiesCan since 2021 and attracts more than 200 attendees each year from across the province and Canada. Recently the Forum has added an additional half day of learning workshops to assist small and medium sized enterprises addressing specific current challenges, such as cybersecurity, workforce training, and environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.

Related products

• News release: Minister Olszewski announces support for agriculture sector in Saskatchewan

Associated links

• Global Institute for Food Security
• Venlaw Manufacturing Ltd.
• Saskatchewan Food Industry Development Centre Inc.
• Ag-West Bio Inc.