Brad Wall touring agriculture plants to promote Sask. ingredients

Premier Brad Wall is embarking on a tour to promote Saskatchewan agriculture.

Dubbed the Saskatchewan Ingredients Tour, Wall will tour agriculture plants in the province and promote Saskatchewan ingredients that are used throughout North America and the world.

On Monday, Wall visited CanMar Grain Products and NutraSun Foods. The stops were the first in a series of visits to Saskatchewancompanies over the next few weeks.

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Wall said 25 per cent of the flaxseed processed at theCarMarfacility is sold in Canada while the remaining three-quarters is exported out of the country. Of those exports, nearly half goes to the United States.

"Their tremendous success demonstrates that Saskatchewan's economy is stronger, more durable and more diversified than ever," Wall said in an earlier press release.

Thirty-five states have Canada as the number one exporter, Wall added.

Agriculture in Saskatchewan is varied, with products like pulse crops such as lentils and chickpeas, flaxseed, oats and even hot dogs being exported out of country.

"We're obviously the right place to grow the crops," Wall said on Monday afternoon. "We need to make sure we continue to be the right place to add value to those crops."

When the upcoming budget is tabled, Wall said tough decisions will be made but the government will also ensure the province remains a competitive jurisdiction.

More than 300 agriculture companies operate in the province.

Wall will use the tour to promote Saskatchewanproducts and explore any potential avenues to increase access to outside markets.