PrairiesCan investment supports nine projects in Saskatchewan

LANGHAM, SK, July 22, 2026 /CNW/ -- The global environment is changing rapidly, as countries respond to shifting trade relationships, growing food security pressures and rising demand for reliable, high-quality food products. Canadian agri-food businesses and the organizations that support them have the expertise, products and ambition to compete in this environment—but they need support to scale up, adopt new technologies and move products to market faster than ever.

Today, the Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development, on behalf of the Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan), joined by the Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade, announced over $10 million to support nine projects with businesses and other organizations in Saskatchewan.

Among the projects announced today, organizations like the Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership (GAAP), the Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS), and the Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute (PAMI) will help businesses develop innovative products across the agriculture sector and expand capacity for new and increased production for import and export markets.

POS Biosciences Corp. and Bioriginal Food & Science Corp. will modernize and expand processing and packaging infrastructure to help extract and deliver more high-value nutrients and specialty products. These improvements will give Canadian companies and consumers the option to purchase Made-in-Canada specialty ingredients that meet the highest quality expectations which Canada is known for around the world.

Livestock sectors in Saskatchewan will benefit from the expansion at North 49 Foods Ltd. to increase production and develop new export markets, also upgrades at Prairie Meats Inc. will allow them to manufacture food, regulated to a high standard, for distribution across Saskatchewan and all of Canada.

Quotes

"Saskatchewan has long been an agricultural powerhouse. Across the province, farmers, researchers, entrepreneurs, and businesses are helping grow the food Canada and the world need. Our government is investing so Saskatchewan can do even more with those strengths here at home — expanding value-added agriculture, growing food processing and manufacturing, and strengthening domestic supply chains — driving economic growth and creating good jobs along the way."
–The Honourable Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)

"Our agriculture and agri-food sector supports 2.3 million jobs across Canada and exports more than $100 billion in products to over 200 countries. Here in Saskatchewan, the sector accounts for over 40% of the province's exports, reaching $18 billion in 2025. By investing in innovation and securing new economic partnerships, we are helping Canadian businesses reach new markets, building on the $33 billion in exports to non-U.S. markets last year that included world-class products from Saskatchewan farmers."
–The Honourable Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade

"Saskatchewan feeds Canada and the world, and our agri-food sector is built on generations of agricultural strength and innovation in rural communities across the province. These new investments are about making sure the next generation of producers, processors, and agri-food businesses can keep growing and keep good jobs right here at home. Whether it's developing new products or reaching new markets, we're making sure Saskatchewan continues to lead as one of the best places in the world to grow and produce food."
–The Honourable Buckley Belanger, Secretary of State for Rural Development

"This new platform dramatically enhances our ability to generate the high-quality genomic data needed to advance next generation agriculture. The increased capacity and efficiency of the NovaSeq X Plus will help GIFS to further bridge the gap between scientific discovery and practical application, enabling faster translation of genomic innovations into solutions that benefit farmers, strengthen food systems, and support economic growth across the Prairies."
–Jason Reinheimer, CEO, Global Institute for Food Security

"This investment will strengthen Saskatchewan's ability to help agri-food and biotech innovators move from idea to market. By expanding access to biomanufacturing infrastructure, specialized equipment, and a collaborative ecosystem, GAAP will help companies accelerate commercialization, create new value-added opportunities for Canadian agriculture, and build the next generation of successful agri-food and biotech businesses in Saskatchewan."
–Jeremy Lang, CEO, Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership

Quick facts

• Saskatchewan's agricultural and agri-food sector is among the fastest growing in the province, expanding by over 7% in 2024 and more than 15% in 2025.
• Repayable and non-repayable funding for these projects is provided under the Business Scale-up and Productivity Program (BSP), Regional Innovation Ecosystem (RIE) program, and Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) delivered on the Prairies by PrairiesCan.
• New programs under the National Food Security Strategy will help reduce Canada's dependence on other countries by processing more of the food we grow, using new technologies to grow the foods we cannot currently grow at scale year-round, and cutting red tape across the agricultural supply chain.

Backgrounder

PrairiesCan is investing more than $10 million for nine projects in Saskatchewan through the Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program, Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program, and Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI).

Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) program – $700,000

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 repayable project under BSP:

• Prairie Meats Inc., general partner of Prairie Meats LP - $700,000: Prairie Meats will complete all building and production facility upgrades required to ensure they can obtain Safe Food for Canadians Regulations licenses from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency for both their Millar Avenue and Dudley Street locations in Saskatoon. This project will strengthen Prairie Meats capacity to manufacture food for consumers across the Prairies, which will be regulated to a high standard.

Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) program - $2,725,649

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 non-repayable projects under RIE:

• Global Institute for Food Security (GIFS) - $1,625,649: GIFS at the University of Saskatchewan is expanding genomics research capacity that will advance 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 original funding of $1.6 million announced in 2025 for this project.
• The Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership (GAAP) - $900,000: GAAP is expanding its market reach and enhancing Saskatchewan's agri-food and biotech commercialization infrastructure. This investment will allow GAAP to purchase key biomanufacturing and processing equipment required for product development, scale-up, downstream processing, and commercialization activities, maximizing the use of GAAP's existing assets, accelerating commercialization outcomes for clients, and building a sustainable pipeline of client companies. GAAP is also re-establishing its Navigate program to connect startups, investors, corporate partners, and ecosystem organizations while showcasing Saskatchewan as a destination for agri-food and biotech innovation.
• Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute (PAMI) - $200,000: PAMI is purchasing advanced agricultural processing equipment and technologies to support small and medium enterprises as they design, test, and commercialize products and processes in value-added agriculture.

Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) - $6,595,762

The Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) is part of the Government of Canada's strategy to defend Canadian jobs, industries, and supply chains from the impacts of tariffs. Delivered by Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan) in the Prairie provinces, RTRI strengthens the competitiveness of tariff impacted small- and medium-sized businesses by helping them to boost productivity, catalyze growth, and diversify markets.

PrairiesCan announced three non-repayable investments under RTRI:

• POS Biosciences Corp - $1,000,000: POS Biosciences will modernize their processing infrastructure to expand seed pasteurization and purification capacity in Saskatchewan.
• Bioriginal Food & Science Corp. - $1,000,000: Bioriginal will expand and automate their liquid oilseed processing and packaging capacity. The installation of two automated filling lines for liquid oilseed will add another layer of value-added activity by enabling high volume bottling, blending, and packaging of finished products in Saskatchewan.
• North 49 Foods Ltd. - $990,762: North 49 will expand the cut floor at their Moose Jaw pork processing facility to accommodate metal detectors and new processing and packaging equipment, enabling the company to increase production capacity, create new jobs, develop export markets, and grow purchases of local Saskatchewan livestock.

Two repayable investments were also announced under RTRI:

• POS Biosciences Corp - $1,335,000: POS Biosciences will modernize their processing infrastructure to scale-up specialty oil extraction from plant, marine and algal biomass in Saskatchewan.
• Bioriginal Food & Science Corp. - $2,270,000: Bioriginal will expand and modernize their food ingredient processing facility by adding one fully automated dry production and packaging line with automation and robotics and purchasing specialized equipment to bring coconut aminos production in-house.

• Prairies Economic Development Canada (PrairiesCan)
• Business Scale-up and Productivity (BSP) in the Prairie provinces
• Regional Innovation Ecosystems (RIE) in the Prairie provinces
• Regional Tariff Response Initiative (RTRI) in the Prairie provinces
• Prairie Meats Inc.
• Global Institute for Food Security
• Global Agri-Food Advancement Partnership
• Prairie Agriculture Machinery Institute
• POS Biosciences Corp.
• Bioriginal Food & Science Corp.
• North 49 Foods Ltd. (a brand under Donald's Fine Foods)

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SOURCE Prairies Economic Development Canada