SASKATOON

$11M pledged to increase capacity of Sask. crop industry

Jonathan Charlton Web Journalist CTV News Saskatoon

Published Tuesday, January 14, 2020 1:24PM CST

Canola grower David Reid checks on his storage bins full of last year's crop of canola seed on his farm near Cremona, Alta., Friday, March 22, 2019. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh)

Text:

SASKATOON -- The federal and provincial governments are spending $11 million on 47 crop-related research projects.

"We're strategically investing in crop-related research that will increase our industry capacity, driving toward our goal of increasing crop production to 45 million metric tonnes," Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister David Marit said in a news release.

The cash will flow through Saskatchewan's Agriculture Development Fund.

Support for ADF projects is awarded to researchers examining areas of importance to Saskatchewan producers. For example, a project co-funded with Western Grains Research Foundation and SaskWheat looks at new visual analytics tools for improved crop breeding tools, according to the release.

Projects supported through the ADF are also getting $8.7 million from several other agencies.