Canola producers in northeastern Saskatchewan are waiting to learn more about Bunge Canada’s canola procurement plans after fire damaged the company’s processing plant near Nipawin last week.
Fire broke out in the crushing plant Aug. 2, destroying two large pieces of equipment at the facility.
The company has offered few details about the extent of the damage or how it will affect canola procurement plans in northeastern Saskatchewan.
The plant, located five kilometres south of Nipawin on Highway 35, is an important delivery point for canola growers in the area. Canola harvesting is expected to begin in the area later this month.
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“Certainly it could cause some stresses for storage and early movement in the short term, but first we need to see how bad the situation is,” said Terry Youzwa, a Nipawin area canola grower and chair of the Saskatchewan Canola Development Commission.
“Our first concern is with the employees who contribute to our community. Their safety is our foremost concern,” he added. “Beyond that, we hope that the equipment’s not too badly damaged and comes back online in a reasonable timeframe.”
Nipawin fire chief Brian Starkell confirmed that fire broke out in the crush plant at around 5 p.m. It was contained to one building, which suffered minor structural damage. Several pieces of equipment inside the plant were also damaged.
Officials from Bunge offered few details last week and could not be reached for comment this week in advance of Western Producer news deadlines.
On Aug. 4, a Reuters news brief citing a company spokesperson said the crushing plant was operating but not at full capacity. It is expected that crushing operations at the plant will be suspended until necessary repairs can be completed.
Growers in the area said it is possible Bunge will continue to take deliveries of canola while the plant is being repaired.
Youzwa, whose farm is located just a few kilometres away, said the plant has been adding storage capacity and improving crush efficiency.
Before the blaze, the plant was capable of processing roughly 1,500 tonnes of canola per day, sources said last week.
Bunge has not confirmed that number.
Starkell said the Nipawin Fire Department deployed six fire trucks and 28 firefighters to control the blaze.
RCMP, emergency response personnel, SaskPower and SaskEnergy were also on site.
No injuries were reported.
“The fire was in the equipment and it was extremely hot in the building, so it was very difficult to get to the burning area,” Starkell said. “The building received some structural damage but very little. The fire was contained to the equipment.”
