Canada-based wheat and barley marketer CWB has started construction of its second grain elevator near Colonsay, Saskatchewan.
The elevator, which is due to open for the 2015 harvest, will have a car-loading rate of up to 1,600 tons per hour with a 134-car loop track, a 17,300 tons workhouse with cleaning facilities, and 24,700 tons of steel storage capacity.
CWB's asset portfolio now includes elevators in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, Mission Terminal in Ontario, and Les Élévateurs des Trois-Rivières in Quebec.
Additionally, two Equinox class laker vessels are set to commence operations in St. Lawrence in 2015.
CWB president and CEO Ian White said, "We see significant opportunity in the Colonsay area for a fast and efficient grain-handling facility that will provide the customer service that farmers have come to expect from CWB.
"CWB's growing network of modern grain-handling facilities across the Prairies will provide farmers with more choice out in the country during a critical time in the ongoing transformation of the grain industry."
White added, "We have been tracking deliveries for all our farmer-customers since the 2013 harvest. As we continue to grow, the benefits to farmers will grow with us."
Farmers who supply grain to CWB will hold an equity interest in the company after privatization, which provides them with an opportunity to gain a controlling stake in a Canadian-focused grain firm.
In March, CWB started construction of its first grain elevator west of Portage La Prairie in Bloom, Manitoba.
