Eligible applicants are agri-businesses, First Nations or Abattoirs involved in value-added processing of Canadian agricultural products that are considered:
- A commercial enterprise located in Saskatchewan;
- Incorporated federally or in Saskatchewan and have filed income tax in Saskatchewan within the past year;
- An existing facility in operation undertaking value-added processing for a minimum of two years;
- Abattoirs must be licensed, certified, registered or inspected with the Ministry of Health’s Public Health System, the Ministry of Agriculture’s Domestic Meat Inspection Program, or the Canadian Food Inspection Agency's federal system;
- Demonstrating a minimum of $100,000 gross annual revenue relating to value-added processing;
- A value-added product is defined as the upgrading of a raw primary agricultural product(s), or further upgrading of a processed product or derivative (includes co-product, by-product) into a new product; and
- Using an identifiable portion of inputs originating from primary agricultural commodities grown or raised in Canada.
Cannabis processing facilities:
- Cannabis processing is an emerging industry in Saskatchewan. Consideration for eligibility in the SLIM program is subject to final approval by the Ministry of Agriculture and is based on a variety of conditions.
- Program policy and eligibility for cannabis processing facilities will be updated regularly on the public website to provide as much transparency as possible.
- For support on understanding how your facility and project may be supported by the SLIM program, please contact 1-866-457-2377.
The following facilities are not eligible for funding:
- Facilities where the retail environment is larger than the processing area;
- Publicly funded facilities;
- Cannabis processing facilities that do not have a standard processing licence as issued by Health Canada. Facilities that exclusively dry, mill, bag and/or pre-roll (package) cannabis are not eligible under SLIM;
- Processors of seafood or fish;
- Processors of seed intended to grow crops;
- Facilities solely dedicated to cleaning, bagging, handling and/or storing of primary products (not considered value-added);
- Businesses that are exclusively food service operators (i.e., restaurants, grocery stores, caterers, etc.); and
- Facilities that are exclusively involved in assembling, blending, or packaging.
SLIM is a proposal-based, pre-approval program designed to fund strategic value-added projects that will contribute to the province’s growth plan targets. The eligibility requirements that are listed are intended to provide guidance to applicants. The ministry has the discretion to determine eligibility of each applicant or project under the program.
First Nation businesses may have distinct characteristics reflecting regulatory, operational, cultural and other factors. Our programs are designed to allow for flexibility to reduce barriers and ensure accessibility. If you are interested in applying for programs and have questions about the application process or eligibility criteria, please contact one of our Building and Strengthening Indigenous Supports (BASIS) specialists or contact the Agriculture Knowledge Centre at 1-866-457-2377 and ask to be connected with one of our BASIS team members.