The Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada has released a report that spotlights the impact of U.S. tariffs on Canada’s horticultural sector. FVGC said this report also details the need to quickly adapt federal and provincial safety-net programs in Canada to address new and more extreme challenges.
In Ontario alone, greenhouse growers reported loses of $2.2 million a day in sales from March 4-7 when U.S. President Donald Trump implemented tariffs on a range of goods covered under the U.S.-Mexico-Canada free trade agreement, FVGC said.
The organization said 48% of total fruit and vegetable production in Canada is exported to the U.S. Unlike other agricultural sectors, the fruit and vegetable industry has limited tools to manage volatility and external shocks due to the perishability of products, intensive labor requirements and just-in-time supply chains, FVGC added.
Among the measures to mitigate the impact of U.S. tariffs, FVGC recommends the creation of a dedicated emergency fund to provide direct compensation for greenhouse operators and other fruit and vegetable growers, domestic price supports to prevent market collapse during harvest periods and regional support packages addressing unique provincial conditions.
FVGC’s report, “Extraordinary Measures for Unprecedented Times,” also calls for an overhaul of existing business risk-management programs — as safety-net programs are known — to better adapt them to changing and more extreme weather conditions, external shocks and the unique needs of Canada’s fruit and vegetable sector.
