Business leaders in Regina are voicing support for the $4-billion Lake Diefenbaker water development project.

The government project would take ten years and double the irrigated farmland to 500,000 acres.

The chair of Economic Development Regina, Frank Hart, says the project will unlock opportunities for farmers and value added food processing in locations like Regina and Moose Jaw.

He calls it a legacy project to expand crop production, control flooding, and provide water during dry years.

Hart says Economic Development Regina has approved a plan to develop the Queen city into an agriculture and food hub.