Flower growers eye risk management

Thursday, March 8, 2012

by SUSAN MANN

Ontario’s agriculture ministry is reviewing a proposal from the province’s ornamental horticulture industry for a self-directed risk management type program similar to one introduced for fruits and vegetables last year.

Mark Cripps, press secretary to Agriculture Minister Ted McMeekin, says because the proposal is currently under review he can’t comment on how much a program for ornamental horticulture would cost or when it would be implemented.

“Their proposal will also need to be considered in the current fiscal environment as well,” says Cripps.

Last month, the province received a massive report from former TD Bank chief economist Don Drummond, the chair of the commission on public-service reform, outlining 362 cost-cutting proposals. He says if nothing is done Ontario’s deficit could hit $30.2 billion by 2017/18 from the current level of $16 billion this year.

Cripps couldn’t give a definite date for when a decision would be made. Irwin Smith, special projects coordinator for Flowers Canada (Ontario) says they’re hoping the minister makes his decision before the Ontario budget comes out. But Cripps says he doesn’t see it happening before then.

The budget is due out by the end of March.

Smith says the program they’re looking for is similar to the edible horticulture’s program but “not the same.” He didn’t want to go into details because the proposal is currently before the minister.

Cripps says “I know the minister has met with them and he’s fully aware of what they’re looking for.”

The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association says on its website it supports the ornamental horticulture proposal.

Smith says growers are in distress currently. “Our farm gate value and sales, especially our export sales, have diminished dramatically over the last 10 years.” That’s mainly due to the Canadian dollar rising to be on par with the America dollar.

“We used to export about 65 per cent and we’re down to 35 to 40 per cent now,” he says.

The industry is made up of nurseries and greenhouse flower growers. There are currently 350 floriculture producers in Ontario and the floriculture industry’s farm gate value was $70 to $80 million last year, Smith says.

Asked why ornamental horticulture wasn’t included last year when a program was introduced for fruits and vegetables along with business risk management programs for grains and oilseeds, beef, pork, veal and sheep, Cripps says those programs were introduced based on industry-developed proposals submitted to the government at the time. BF