Although the Leamington, Ontario, greenhouse industry grew 6% annually during the 10 years leading up to the COVID-19 pandemic, it has since experienced “very minimal growth,” and Richard Lee, executive director of Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers, blames at least some of the falloff to lack of support from all levels of government in Canada.
“The sector has been on a huge upward swing,” he said, but that seems to have changed significantly because of various governmental policies that have stifled growth.
“We are the largest concentration of greenhouse production in North America,” he said, but he doesn’t think Canadian lawmakers care.
The government invested more than $46 billion in the automotive and electric vehicle industries in the past three years while virtually ignoring the produce industry, Lee said.
“Where’s the proportionate support for agriculture?” he said. “It’s almost like they’ve forgotten about ag.”
Ontario greenhouse growers will pay $24 million in carbon taxes this year to produce food, he said. Policies such as this at all levels of government threaten agriculture, Lee said.
He also criticized the Canadian Food Inspection Agency’s lack of support for pest control measures for greenhouse growers.
“When the U.S. protects their country from invasive species and Canada doesn’t follow, it really challenges the potential of trade access for our growers to ship the produce to the states,” he said. “The contributions greenhouses make to the communities and in the municipalities where they’ve chosen to establish is astronomical.”
The industry brings in more than $1.5 billion in farm gate sales in Ontario, he said, and provides 32,000 jobs through the entire value chain.
“Those are shocking numbers, and you would think they would catch the eye of politicians who realize the need to continue investing and supporting this growth,” he said. “Something’s got to change, and we’re really hoping to effect that change by consistent lobbying efforts.”
Meanwhile, the organization continues to promote sales of greenhouse commodities.
For example, it recently launched, in partnership with The Packer and Produce Market Guide, the Retailer Education Program that provides a tool to educate newcomers in the retail side of the produce industry about greenhouse produce’s benefits, Lee said.
Related: Check out Greenhouse Produce 101 on Produce EDU
“It’s a simple tool that provides training aids, and it incentivizes retailers to promote Ontario greenhouse produce,” he said.
A Retailer Awards Program also has been set up to encourage Canadian and U.S. retailers to showcase greenhouse vegetables.
“It’s a unique, fun way of showcasing greenhouse vegetables while educating those who may not understand all the intricacies or details of how greenhouse vegetables are grown and what benefits they add,” he said.
As of mid-May, 18 retailers had signed up for the program, which will run through May.
