ST. LOUIS — Bunge North America, the North American operating arm of Bunge Ltd., said it plans to increase the capacity at another canola processing plant in Western Canada as expansion at its facility in Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., should be completed by 2014. The company earlier announced plans to more than double crushing capacity at its facility in Altona, Man., as part of a multiyear expansion program in Canada.

“Expanding and upgrading our capacity in Canada is a natural way to grow Bunge’s North American business as domestic and export demand for both canola oil and meal continues to increase,” said Soren Schroder, president and chief executive officer of Bunge North America. “By increasing capacity in Fort Saskatchewan, we also improve operational efficiency so that we can better serve all our customers in the value chain, from farmers to food and feed manufacturers.”


The proposed project would more than double Fort Saskatchewan’s current capacity of 850 tonnes per day.
“Farmers around Fort Saskatchewan are responding to increased demand for canola by planting more acres,” said Rick Watson, Bunge’s country manager in Canada. “Yields are also improving thanks to technology, making this region a logical place to expand. While most of the oil and meal that will be produced from the expansion in Altona will remain in North America, the additional product from Fort Saskatchewan will go to both North American and offshore markets.”

In addition to Fort Saskatchewan and Altona, Bunge has processing plants in Nipawin, Sask.; Hamilton, Ont.; and Harrowby, Man.