Prince Rupert is no stranger to the export of agriculture products, but a multi-million dollar deal between the City of Terrace and Chinese investors could bring another product to the North Coast.
Taisheng International Investors purchased 480 hectares of land at the industrial park between Terrace and Kitimat for $11.8 million earlier this month and plans to construct an alfalfa procession plant on the site. The plant would process raw alfalfa from Saskatchewan at a rate of 12,000 tonnes per year – 10,000 tonnes for livestock and 2,000 tonnes for human consumption – into a powder or condensate and ship it through the Port of Prince Rupert to China.
Prince Rupert Port Authority manager of corporate communications Michael Gurney said should the plant begin operations within the next three years, as planned by the proponents, the infrastructure is already in place to handle the extra goods.
“Should alfalfa bales be moved through the Port of Prince Rupert, they would be handled similarly to the hay bales that we currently export from the Nechako Valley. The bales are sealed, and then stuffed into containers for export
“The existing container-handling infrastructure of Fairview Terminal could process alfalfa bales as easily as hay bales.”
