Plant the Seeds: Opportunities to Grow Ontario’s Fruit and Vegetable Sector

Ontario has an opportunity to expand fruit and vegetable production across the Greenbelt and Southern Ontario. Plant the Seeds identifies opportunities to build on Ontario’s more than $2.2 billion fruit and vegetable sector by increasing production of fresh grapes, pears, strawberries, garlic, eggplant, sweet potatoes, apples, snap beans, and cabbage, alongside vertical farming.

Expansion across the crops examined could generate up to $135 million in increased farm-gate revenue while helping replace a share of Ontario’s $7.3 billion in annual fruit and vegetable imports.

Key Findings

Strawberries: Ontario field-grown strawberry production could expand to supply 37.5% of annual consumption. That would represent an additional 11,000 tonnes of field-grown strawberries and a potential increase of $45.5 million in farm-gate revenue.

Fresh Grapes: There is an opportunity to increase the market share of Ontario-grown fresh grapes from 1.6% of annual consumption to 8.3%, by planting another 3,720 acres of grape vines. At $7,000 in gross revenue per acre, this increase represents $26.4 million in total farm-gate revenues.

Sweet Potatoes: In 2018, Ontario produced 10,132 tonnes of sweet potatoes. By planting just an additional 313 acres, Ontario could satisfy 79% of its consumption of sweet potatoes, resulting in 12,100 additional tonnes of the root vegetable and $2.0 million in farm-gate revenue.

Pears: Pears can be stored for four to six months, depending on the variety, which suggests the potential for Ontario production to expand and supply more than 75% of consumption requirements for one-third of the year, or more. At this volume, Ontario growers would be supplying just under 25% of the Ontario market, a doubling of the current 12% share.

Eggplant: A 25% expansion of eggplant production, to 1,694 tonnes, would account for just under 20% of estimated annual consumption in the province Using 6 tonnes of production per acre, the expansion would require 57 additional acres and represent another $700,000 of farm-gate revenue.

Garlic: This expansion opportunity requires approximately 1,000 additional acres of garlic from the 2018 acreage estimate of 783 planted acres. This expansion equals another $10 to $15 million in farm-gate revenue.

Apples: Since apples can be stored through most of the post-harvest season, there is a large opportunity to replace imported apples of the same variety. Expansion would require planting 700 acres of specific apple varieties, such as Honeycrisp or Royal Gala, and equals around $20 million in farm-gate revenue

Snap Beans: Over the last 20 years snap bean production has increased by 2.2% on average each year. There is an opportunity to further increase snap bean production in the province to meet up to 49% of annual local consumption.

Cabbage: There is an opportunity to expand the production of both regular and Chinese cabbage to supply a larger share of Ontario’s market, which could add another $12.6 million of farm-gate revenue. This is possible because cabbage can be stored for up to a year.

Certain perquisites need to be in place to realize the opportunities, and there is a role for growers, marketers, retailers, industry organizations, research and development institutions, and government to make it happen.

Turning these opportunities into lasting growth will require coordinated action across the supply chain. Retailer support for Ontario-grown products, stronger grower collaboration, access to crop protection tools, breeding and cultivar selection suited to Ontario conditions, storage and processing infrastructure, and clearer market development all play a role in helping more Ontario-grown produce reach consumers.