The Saskatoon Regional Economic Development Authority (SREDA) has developed a new pathway to promote the Saskatoon Region on the global stage thanks to a partnership with United Kingdom-based Agri-Tech East.
Agri-Tech East is a not-for-profit organization that helps develop business opportunities and mutually-beneficial collaboration for its members, which includes more than 170 farmers, food producers and processors, scientists, technologists and entrepreneurs from around the world. This partnership will complement SREDA’s existing efforts in showcasing the Saskatoon Region and what it can offer to international investors and businesses.
Benefits from this relationship will be first realized this summer during HARVEST, SREDA’s annual international agriculture technology business attraction program. Agri-Tech East will promote HARVEST across its membership to help encourage well-suited companies to apply.
With a mandate of attracting innovative companies and international investors to the Saskatoon Region’s agriculture sector, HARVEST received 44 applications from 15 countries in its first two years of operation. This has resulted in eight successful companies being brought to the Saskatoon Region. One of these companies – PBD Biotech – is a member organization of Agri-Tech East and has recently set up a subsidiary in Saskatoon.
“Saskatoon has already benefited from working with one of Agri-Tech East’s members and we’re excited to see results from an already fruitful connection,” said SREDA President and CEO Alex Fallon. “The goal of HARVEST is to promote the Saskatoon Region to agriculture technology companies and this partnership with Agri-Tech East takes that one step further. This relationship provides us with a great opportunity to showcase the strength of the agriculture industry to connect farmers and industry leaders with international companies and investors.”
Director of Agri-Tech East, Belinda Clarke, added: “Canadian farmers share many of the same issues as UK producers. The HARVEST program offers an incredible springboard towards international expansion for innovative, entrepreneurial companies in the agri-food sphere.”
