The Manitoba government has announced an investment of nearly $380,000 for a potato processing plant in Carberry to increase efficiency, reduce waste and support the sustainable growth of Manitoba’s potato industry. The announcement was made by Federal Agriculture Minister Lawrence MacAulay and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Development Minister Ron Kostyshyn.
The governments’ investment, provided under Manitoba’s Growing Forward 2 – Growing Value program, will be used to install new and innovative equipment at the McCain Foods Canada facility in Carberry. The plant processes about 430 million pounds of Manitoba-grown potatoes every year, mostly into french fries. The upgrades will reduce potato and canola oil waste by 900,000 pounds and 800,000 pounds per year, respectively.
The governments’ investment represents half of the total equipment cost. McCain Foods Canada has invested more than $30 million in other upgrades to the Carberry facility over the last 10 years, including a $23 million waste water upgrade. This potato processing plant employs about 220 people, with another 10 positions to be created over the next three years as a result of the new equipment.
Manitoba is Canada’s second-largest potato producer behind PEI, supporting 120 potato growers and employing 1,500 full-time and casual workers. In 2013, 70,000 acres of potatoes were grown in Manitoba valued at about $192 million. About 80 per cent of potatoes processed in Manitoba are exported to the United States, making this crop a valuable trade commodity.
The Growing Value program provides financial assistance to existing agri-businesses that need to make changes to adapt to market forces and environmental considerations, to increase their ability to compete in domestic and international markets.
The federal and provincial governments are investing a total of $176 million in cost-shared programming in Manitoba under Growing Forward 2, a five-year, federal-provincial-territorial policy framework to advance the agriculture industry, helping producers and processors become more innovative and competitive in world markets.
Minister Kostyshyn noted this investment also supports the Manitoba government’s goal of creating a $5.5 billion food processing industry by 2022, which is currently valued at $4.95 billion.
