Greenhouse sales up

Thursday, May 5, 2011

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

With Statistics Canada reporting that sales of greenhouse products in Canada rose three per cent to nearly $2.5 billion in 2010, Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) are cautiously optimistic the upward trend will continue.

George Gilvesy, OGVG general manager, said caution is due to concerns about the high Canadian dollar  - more than 70 per cent of Ontario greenhouse produce is exported to the US. - and energy costs. “We’ve traditionally been used to having a sub-par dollar and now we’re at parity or above and that does have an impact,” he said. ”Things are looking good but there are some cost pressures. We’ve had some reprieve on natural gas the last couple of years but the big question is where is it going. Fundamental oil prices are extremely high so how long is natural gas going to stay as competitive for our members as it currently is?”

Canada had 3,285 greenhouse operations in 2010, down from 3,335 in 2009. However, total greenhouse area increased from about 22.4 million square metres to nearly 22.9 million square metres. Most of this expansion was in greenhouse vegetable production.

Greenhouse vegetable producers, who are less sensitive to weather conditions than field vegetable producers, continued their expansion. For a fourth consecutive year, the value of greenhouse vegetable sales exceeded sales of field vegetables (including potatoes).

Growers in Ontario, British Columbia and Quebec accounted for 95.4 per cent of greenhouse vegetable and fruit sales in 2010. Ontario alone represented 60.9 per cent.

Sales of tomatoes, the most valuable crop, rose 10.9 per cent to $509 million. Sales of peppers increased 14.9 per cent to $270 million, while sales of cucumbers were up 3.1 per cent  to $254 million.

OGVG represents more than 220 members who grow greenhouse tomato, cucumber and sweet pepper crops in Ontario. BF