The canola value chain stretches from farmer fields to elevators, railroads and port infrastructure. It also extends into the manufacturing sector through sizable processing operations, said Jared Carlberg, agricultural economist at the University of Manitoba.

Starting in 2021, five major investments into canola crushing and additional processing plants were forecast to expand processing capacity by 60 per cent across four years. Some of the world’s largest grain companies, including U.S. giant Cargill Inc. and France-based Louis Dreyfus Co., alongside Canadian heavyweights like Winnipeg-based Richardson International, promised new canola crush plants.