In August 2004, Saskcan Pulse Trading Inc acquired its fourth pulse processing plant in Saskatchewan, a move that grew the three year old company to more than 100 full time staff. A joint venture between Turkish company Arbel Pulse and Grain Industry SA, Saskcan has invested approximately $12 million since establishing its first facility just outside Regina in 2001.
Arbel used to import Canadian pulses into Turkey for processing and re-export. "It made more sense to build a company that would bring Saskatchewan's pulse crops to the global marketplace, by exporting them in a finished state," says Murad Al-Katib, Saskcan's President. Today, 90 per cent of the company's production of lentils, chickpeas, flax, canola and other specialty crops is exported to 33 countries.
According to Al-Katib, Saskcan's dramatic growth is due to several factors. "One is that Canada is the lowest-cost producer of lentils in the world. This makes Saskcan very competitive with exporters in other countries, even though we are much farther from our chief markets than they are," says Al-Katib. "Another element is the government's continuous development of new seed varieties, which allows us to adapt very quickly to changing customer demands. Last but not least is the excellent reputation of Canadian agri-food products around the world. There's a perception of quality that goes along with the name of Canada and that's a huge advantage for our marketing."
Al-Katib sees the agri-food sector growing into a billion-dollar industry for Saskatchewan. "As Canada continues to develop this market, we hope to become a global supply leader," he says. Saskcan's major markets include Bangladesh, Pakistan, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates and Germany.