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Greenhouse product sales continue to rise

April 21, 2016  By Dave Harrison



April 21, 2016, Ottawa — Canada’s greenhouse, nursery and sod industries are still growing as total sales increased 3.3 per cent from 2014 to nearly $3.7 billion in 2015.

Greenhouse products accounted for 76.1 per cent of all greenhouse, nursery and sod sales. Greenhouse flower and plant sales (including resales) increased 3.6 per cent and sales of fruit and vegetable products were up 2.9 per cent.

Ornamental product sales (including greenhouse flowers and plants, nursery products and sod products) totalled $2.4 billion in 2015. 

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Total greenhouse flower and plant sales (including resales) totalled $1.5 billion in 2015. Resales were $219.8 million and accounted for 18.9 per cent of total greenhouse flower and plant sales. Indoor and outdoor potted plants represented the largest share of all flowers and plants produced and sold, accounting for 62.3 per cent of total greenhouse floriculture sales.

Close to half of potted plant sales came from Ontario.

Ontario generated 68.0 per cent of the sales value of cut flowers in Canada. British Columbia (23.5 per cent) and Quebec (10.9 per cent) also represented large shares of total greenhouse flower and plant sales.

GREENHOUSE VEGETABLE SALES HIGHER THAN FIELD-GROWN VEGETABLES

Greenhouse vegetable sales totalled $1.3 billion in 2015, about $300 million higher than the value of field grown vegetables (published in The Daily on Feb. 3, 2016). Sales of greenhouse tomatoes advanced 1.9 per cent to $516.9 million, while sales of peppers increased 6.9 per cent to $426.1 million. Lettuce had the largest percentage increase, with sales rising 13.4 per cent to $36 million. Cucumbers sales decreased 1.3 per cent to $308.2 million, largely as a result of lower prices.

Total operating expenses for greenhouses increased 3.3 per cent to $2.3 billion in 2015. Labour costs accounted for nearly one-third of total operating expenses. The total number of greenhouse employees rose 1.2 per cent to 33,358, while payroll rose 5.3 per cent to $694.3 million. Crop expenses, electricity and plant material purchases continued to increase, as a result of industry expansion and higher input costs.

Total nursery sales (including resales) increased 3.5 per cent from 2014 to $712.6 million in 2015, with sales (+4.2 per cent) of nursery-grown products outpacing resales (+0.9 per cent). Nursery operating expenses edged up 0.3 per cent to $605.7 million. Labour costs represented the largest share, accounting for 37.1 per cent of total operating expenses. The total number of nursery employees fell 3.4 per cent to 13,152 and labour costs decreased one per cent to $225.0 million.

In 2015, total sod sales (including resales) were up 3.2 per cent to $167 million, while expenses increased 0.8 per cent to $136.8 million. Sod farm operations employed 1,855 people in 2015, up 0.5 per cent from 2014.


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