Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley is the Legislative Secretary for Trade and Economic Development with the Province; back in the fall, he took part in a Trade Mission to China with Premier Scott Moe.  

Hindley says Saskatchewan has a huge opportunity to export our agricultural commodities around the world, supplying raw materials as well as value added products. 

During their visit to China, they met with two company's that are in the process of investing in value-added opportunities here in Saskatchewan. 

He recently took the opportunity to visit the company's future operations including a flax processing plant at Dundurn that is currently being built by  Ming Hai,  one of the companies they met with in China.  

(Swift Current MLA Everett Hindley with Ming Hai Inc President Shaopeng Bian)

He says Ming-Hai is building a processing plant to produce a flax seed crude oil that will be used in paint back in China.  

“They were doing it in China but they decided to come to Saskatchewan because they have a supply of flax here. Again, they purchase flax from local producers once they're fully operational that’s what they’ll do.  So, they’ll purchase flax from local producers and they’ll hire some local people there. The flax meal that is left as a result will be sold as livestock feed.  Eventually down the road, they have a plan to get into some flax flour processing as well.”

FlaxMega is another Chinese company that is in the process of constructing a flax processing facility at Delisle.

“The goal is that in a year or two they hope to have a flax crushing facility there that will actually crush flaxseed oil, and manufacture the capsules they will sell back in China. They’ll buy Saskatchewan flax, they will employ local people, and their plans are to when they’re fully operational have 60 to 80 local individuals from the Delisle area working at this particular plant.”

Hindley says it’s exciting to see the interest from Chinese companies in building processing plants here in the Province and supporting our farmers where there is a strong supply of flax.