Roquette's chief agronomist was in Portage la Prairie this past week for a meeting with producers from around the province. PRED executive director Vern May says one of Roquette's grain department managers from their U.S. operations also participated in the meeting, which was held to answer some of the questions about how the new plant will be supplied and where they'll acquire their raw materials. May notes one of the most exciting announcements to come out of this meeting was that the company is looking for a long term relationship with Manitoba producers to fill their quota. He says they'll need a hundred and twenty-five thousand tonnes of yellow peas per year, adding this is a tremendous opportunity for producers who are interested in plugging into what this plant will mean for the entire region.

May notes the costs of transportation, as well as the possibility of compromising the quality of the product during transport, could be a concern down the line, so the opportunity for producers who are in close proximity to Portage is really fantastic. He says local growers will likely have the greatest advantage to plug into pea production as the facility moves forward. May adds Roquette is looking to host a vendor fair day here in June which will illustrate a number of other opportunities for local businesses to get involved.