April 18, 2008, Ottawa — After a long period of continuous
growth that started in 1990, greenhouse expansion stalled in 2007, as
operators had to adapt to the rising value of the Canadian dollar and
higher labour and energy costs, according to the latest StatsCan survey.
After a long period of continuous growth that started in 1990, greenhouse expansion stalled in 2007, as operators had to adapt to the rising value of the Canadian dollar and higher labour and energy costs.
This is one of the conclusions included in the recently released 2007 Greenhouse, Sod and Nursery Industries report, compiled by Statistics Canada .
Total greenhouse area under plastic and glass edged down less than one per cent from a year earlier to approximately 20.9 million square metres in 2007.
Greenhouse operators reported total sales of $2.3 billion, up less than one per cent compared with 2006. Producers of flowers and plants accounted for two-thirds of total greenhouse sales, but, for the first time since 1993, vegetable area, which was 10.7 million square metres, exceeded plant and flower area, which stood at 10.3 million square metres in 2007.
Canadian greenhouses employed approximately 42,000 workers in 2007.
Sales of flowers and plants increased 1.5 per cent in 2007, with Ontario growers accounting for 52 per cent of all flowers and plants sold by Canadian growers.
Greenhouse growers sold $806 million of vegetables in 2007, virtually unchanged from a year earlier, with tomatoes accounting for 44 per cent of total vegetable sales. However, some producers switched production from tomatoes, with area planted falling by 3.7 per cent, to peppers (up 11.1 per cent) and cucumbers (up 3.6 per cent).
Ontario continued to lead the provinces with 64 per cent of Canadian greenhouse vegetable area, followed by British Columbia (24 per cent).
The total nursery area increased 1.3 per cent to 21,507 hectares in 2007 following two years of decline. Nursery sales increased 5.5 per cent to $630 million, with sales to landscapers and garden centres accounting for 46 per cent of total sales. The sod area increased 1.8 per cent to 23,862 hectares.
In 2007, 15,485 employees worked in the nursery and sod industries. Sales at nursery and sod operations reached $758 million in 2007, up 5.6 per cent from a year earlier, with nursery operations accounting for most of the gain.
Note: As a result of the release of data from the 2006 Census of Agriculture on May 16, 2007, estimates of area figures for greenhouse, nursery and sod operations contained in the Greenhouse, Sod and Nursery Industries series have been revised, where necessary, to align with those from the Census. Other variables were also adjusted accordingly, where appropriate. New data points for the 2001 to 2006 period are now available upon request.</I>
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