Quebec's greenhouse production overshadowed by Ontario
Quebec only produces 3% of greenhouse vegetables in Canada, despite Quebecers representing almost a quarter of the population. Quebecer producers would benefit from preferential electricity rates which would allow them to increase the quantity of vegetables produced. This would make vegetables sold in Quebec cheaper and reduce pollution from transportation.
The fragility of Quebecer producers in an industry overrun by well structured companies was underlined last year when Quebec’s biggest greenhouse tomato producer, Savoura, declared bankruptcy.
Greenhouse producers in Ontario have achieved a privileged access and preferential rates for natural gas over the last few years. They also benefit from the government’s “Foodland” programme which heavily promotes local produce. Unlike Quebec, the Ontario government also focuses on greenhouse production. Consequently, government aid for producers in Ontario is not limited, but increases alongside production volume. The result is that greenhouse production in Ontario has increased to be 10 times more important than that of Quebec.
Over the last few years, producers in Quebec have been able to heat at better prices thanks to biomass, but this has not helped with lighting. Vegetable growers would like to benefit from similar tariffs from Hydro-Québec as those given to aluminium producers for lighting. Greenhouse producers in Quebec currently pay about 5.5 cents/kWh and they would like to negotiate 4 cents/kWh. Claude Mousseau, President of the Greenhouse Producers Syndicate in Quebec says that “This would allow many producers to become very competitive and to massively invest in new projects.” Last year the owner of Savoura said that high electricity prices contributed to their financial failure. Savoura, which produced 40% of Quebec’s greenhouse tomatoes has since been acquired by Serres Sagami.
Mr Mousseau believes that with preferential tariffs for lighting, almost $300 million of new investment projects will rapidly commence in Quebec. Mr Mousseau believes that as well as having a major economic impact all over Quebec, the investments would create thousands of jobs. Owner of Serres Demers, Jacques Demers, says that “it would change everything”. He has calculated that with a lower electricity rate he would be ably to invest up to $30 million in new projects, “We could easily launch into cucumber and pepper production. We would also look into producing greenhouse strawberries year-round,” he says.
Florent Gravel, Chairman and Managing Director of the Association of food retailers in Quebec believes that the Quebec government lacks vision by not offering more financial aid to greenhouse producers. “Evidently there is something that Ontario has understood that Quebec still does not understand,” says Mr Gravel, who represents 8,000 food retailers in Quebec.
Last week the Quebec employers council launched a campaign to incite consumers to buy locally. Quebecers spend an annual $25 billion in food retail stores in Quebec, yet according to the CPQ, almost half of the food in peoples' fridges comes from outside of Quebec. If each citizen replaced $20 of imported production with the equivalent sum of production from Quebec, Quebec would see an $8 billion economic gain. This would also create 100,000 new employment opportunities.
The advantages of producing vegetables locally: fresher (more rapidly available), cheaper (buying prices are directly linked to transportation costs), less pollution (shorter transportation distances, reducing greenhouse gases). According to the Greenhouse Producers Syndicate in Quebec, their greenhouse production is made up of: tomatoes (62%), cucumbers (14%), lettuce (5%), herbs (5%), other (4%), ornamental horticulture (10%).
Quebec has 195 greenhouse vegetable farms, Ontario has 230. Quebec farms 94 hectares/year with a 20,495 ton production, whilst Ontario farms 975/year and volume reaches 420,341 tons. The sector employs 1,496 people in Quebec and 6,174 in Ontario.
Source: Le Journal de Montréal