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NewswireTODAY - /newswire/ -
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, 2026/03/17 - BASF Agricultural Solutions is investing 17 million euro to expand and transform its Canola Breeding Centre of Innovation in Saskatoon, Canada, with construction commencing this spring - Agriculture.BASF.com. Frankfurt (BAS)
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• Strategic investment, building on 30 years of global leadership in canola;
• Construction taking place from spring 2026 through end of 2027, adding breeding capacity and advanced automation;
• Facility will enable faster genetic gain and new trait integration, driving greater yields, disease protection and performance for growers.
The investment will strengthen BASF’s position as a global leader in canola advancement and reinforce its long-term commitment to deliver leading-edge genetics for canola growers globally.
For 30 years, InVigor® hybrid canola has played a central role in advancing productivity and performance for canola and oilseed rape growers around the world. This investment enhances BASF’s breeding capacities, integrating advanced automation, and accelerating the development of new hybrids.
“Canola is a strategic crop for our Agricultural Solutions business, playing a crucial role for Canadian farmers and supporting food production worldwide,” said Livio Tedeschi, President, BASF Agricultural Solutions. “This investment underscores our commitment to advancing our entire portfolio of canola. As the global leader in canola production and innovation, BASF is proud to invest in its future innovation capabilities.”
Accelerating innovation through advanced breeding technologies
A key component of the Saskatoon facility expansion is the development of new infrastructure to support precision-controlled environment growth systems and high throughput automation pipelines. “These enhancements are critical to implementing genomic selection at scale, enabling faster, more precise breeding decisions and accelerating genetic gain across all InVigor programs. By increasing breeding throughput and improving predictive capabilities, BASF can shorten innovation cycles and deliver improved hybrids to the market more efficiently”, explained Doreen Schachtschabel, Senior Vice President, R&D for Seeds & Traits.
The expansion will also include a new advanced research-grade glasshouse designed to support the advancement of future hybrid breeding programs. By expanding its research capabilities in Canada, BASF is strengthening its ability to deliver differentiated solutions that can drive greater yields, improve disease protection and offer overall enhanced performance for farmers.
About BASF Agricultural Solutions
Everything we do, we do for the love of farming. Farming is fundamental to provide sufficient and affordable food for a rapidly growing population, while reducing environmental impacts. That’s why we are working with partners and experts to integrate sustainability criteria into all business decisions. With €990 million in 2025, we invest in a strong R&D pipeline, and our solutions are purpose-designed for different crop systems. Connecting seeds and traits, crop protection products, digital tools and sustainability approaches, to help deliver the best possible outcomes for farmers, growers and stakeholders along the value chain. In 2025, our business generated sales of €9.6 billion.
About BASF
At BASF (basf.com), we create chemistry for a sustainable future. Our ambition: We want to be the preferred chemical company to enable our customers’ green transformation. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. Around 108,000 employees in the BASF Group contribute to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio comprises, as core businesses, the segments Chemicals, Materials, Industrial Solutions, and Nutrition & Care; our standalone businesses are bundled in the segments Surface Technologies and Agricultural Solutions. BASF generated sales of around €60 billion in 2025.
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