A Saskatchewan commodity trader celebrated two decades in business on Thursday by establishing its rail network.
AGT Foods announced a $65-million investment into the Delisle grain terminal.
It is part of a larger investment by the company after its president and CEO, Murad Al-Katib, saw a need in getting Saskatchewan producers streamlined access to international markets.
“So we decided to buy the railways and we decided to buy the railcars and we bought the locomotives. We’re now taking our trains directly to the farm gates,” he said.
Al-Katib added the company has spent around $150 million on its railway system and grain network.
The facility will be able to clean around a thousand tonnes of grain per hour and can separate different producer’s products by rail car.
This latest investment is one the provincial government says goes hand-in-hand with its 10-year growth plan.
“We’ve been talking for years about the opportunities we have in adding value to our agricultural products and now what we’re seeing is those opportunities are coming to fruition,” Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said.
AGT Foods said around 45 jobs have been created in this facility and it has also moved its short-line railway business to Delisle.
It hopes to make more investments like this one as Saskatchewan comes out of the COVID-19 pandemic economy.
Delisle is approximately 40 km southwest of Saskatoon.