Linen Flax Potential for Saskatchewan

REGINA - Feb 2/04 - SNS -- Saskatchewan can grow linen-fiber flax, says Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization's oilseed crops specialist Bill Greuel, who was once convinced agronomic conditions in the province made it impossible to produce the kinds of crops seen in country's like the Netherlands.

"Saskatchewan has been looking at the flax-fibre industry as a form of diversification for years and years, but it is not until now that the pieces of the puzzle have fallen into place," says Bill Greuel, Saskatchewan Agriculture, Food and Rural Revitalization's oilseed crops specialist.

"There is a new emphasis on a bio-based economy, and the federal government, for example, has made funding available for work in bio-based industries. The provincial government, through the Agriculture Development Fund (ADF), is funding key and very necessary projects in flax fibre, and the entrepreneurial company Biolin Research is not only enthusiastic but also knowledgeable about what needs to be done to establish a flax fibre industry and is willing to do it."

Other important pieces of the puzzle are the Saskatchewan Flax Development Commission, which is funding research through producer check-offs, and a Chinese company that is seriously interested in buying flax fibre for spinning at their linen mills in China.

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