agga.ca – The greenhouse vegetable production sector is one of the greatest success stories of Canadian agriculture over the past twenty-five years. The sector has expanded to the point where it now exports annually over $600 million of greenhouse vegetable products (tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, and lettuce) primarily to the US.
At the same time that the Canadian sector has been expanding, high tech vegetable greenhouse capacity has expanded in Mexico at an even faster pace, putting Mexico in the position of a formidable competitor for market share in the US market. Mexico is closer in proximity to about half of the US population than Canadian exporters, and for the other half of the population, Canadian exporters have shorter supply lines. The Canadian and Mexican competition is counter-seasonal, as Mexico is in peak production during the November to March “shoulder months” of winter in the northern hemisphere. Canada is in peak production from April to October when higher temperatures in Mexico take their toll on product yield and quality. Mexican production of greenhouse grown peppers and mini-cukes is not as advanced or developed as Canada’s. The competition is most direct in the tomato and English cucumber categories. Read Full Article>>>
