Niagara Tender Fruit and Grape Specialty Crop Areas

One of Ontario’s most productive growing regions. 

The Niagara Tender Fruit and Grape Area is home to one of the province’s two Specialty Crop Areas, whose fertile soils and unique climate conditions allow Greenbelt farmers to grow crops that can’t be found commercially anywhere else.

Situated between the Niagara Escarpment and Lake Ontario, the Niagara Tender Fruit and Grape Areas is one of the world’s most productive fruit-growing regions and produces the majority of Ontario’s tender fruit. In 2016, the Greenbelt had 269,912 acres of farmland in fruit production, accounting for 52.6% of Ontario’s fruit acreage. The following crops are produced in the Niagara Peninsula, including:

• 94% of grapes 
• 90% of peaches
• 86% of plums and prunes
• 84% of apricots
• 75% of sweet cherries
• 72 % of pears
• 60% of sour cherries 

The Ontario wine and grape industry brings 2.6 million visitors to the region annually, creating 22,300 jobs and a $5.4 billion economic impact in Ontario. 

The Niagara Tender Fruit and Grape areas play a unique role in Ontario’s food system and is vital to the province’s long-term sustainability and prosperity.