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Greenhouse sales dip in 2012

April 23, 2013  By Canadian Florist


Apr. 23, 2013, Ottawa — Sales of greenhouse, nursery and sod products in Canada totaled approximately $3.3 billion in 2012, according to new data released by Statistics Canada.

This represents a 2.2 per cent decline from 2011. The reduction was partly the result of a 4.5 per cent decrease in greenhouse vegetable and fruit sales, which accounted for one-third of all greenhouse, nursery and sod sales.

Tomato sales declined 9.4 per cent to $439 million, while cucumber sales were down 2.1 per cent to $278 million. Sales of peppers, however, increased 0.3 per cent to $300 million.

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Sales and resales of greenhouse flowers and plants fell 1.7 per cent to $1.4 billion. This decline was mainly the result of a 26.9 per cent reduction in cutting plant sales and an 18.6 per cent reduction in sales of vegetable bedding plants for transplanting. Floriculture represented 56.1 per cent of total greenhouse product sales in 2012.

The reduction in greenhouse sales was accompanied by a two per cent decrease in total operating expenses. Fuel expenses fell 15.8 per cent to $192 million, while labour costs were stable at $616 million. The total number of seasonal and permanent greenhouse workers decreased 0.3 per cent to 35,996. Labour cost accounted for 29.9 per cent of total operating expenses.

On the nursery side, sales of nursery products declined 1.9 per cent to $694 million. Total area fell 5.4 per cent to 21,149 hectares. Costs for nursery operations decreased 6.9 per cent to $603 million, of which labour accounted for 40 per cent of total nursery operation costs. Nurseries employed 15,470 people in 2012, 71.2 per cent of whom were seasonal employees.

Total sod area declined 5.1 per cent to 23,712 hectares, while sod grown to be sold during the year rose 11.1 per cent. Sod sales and resales increased 8.1 per cent to $159 million.

Statistics Canada collects data on greenhouse, sod and nursery farms in
Canada. The data is used by federal and provincial agriculture
departments and producer associations to perform market trend analysis
and to study domestic production.


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