Canadian firm AGT Food and Ingredients Inc. recently announced plans to open a new oat milling plant at its existing site in Aberdeen, SK that will produce a range of oat products for both human and animal consumption.

“We are very excited about this new venture for AGT. Oats are very complementary to pulses in their amino acid profile, which increases their digestibility and gives them highly desirable characteristics for extruded products like snacks and pasta, bakery applications, and the beverage industry,” Murad Al-Katib, president and chief executive officer of the company, said in a release. “Oats are a major cereal crop for Saskatchewan with significant production levels, and AGT is already exporting thousands of tonnes of oats each year. Combined with our expertise in value-added milling and the production of high-quality plant-based ingredient products, we have a real advantage in creating value for our producers in this new product area.”

Work on the site is expected to begin immediately. AGT said the oat milling plant is slated to become operational by the end of this year. The site will be served by CN Rail and AGTs private railway car fleet.

“With strong and growing demand for innovative plant-based products in the marketplace, and with a number of new products being offered in our system utilizing oats, including extruded flours and blends, snacks and pastas with oats and pulses, we expect our existing and new customers will find our unique oat-derived products to provide significant advantages for their products as well,” said Al-Katib.

The project in Aberdeen is part of a broader effort to invest in the company’s global production footprint.