Produce production area falls in Canada

Fruit and vegetable-producing land to be harvested this year is to fall on 2008 levels, according to a new report

A new report by national data analysis organisation Statistics Canada has forecast that the total acreage of fruit and vegetable production in the country is set to fall on the previous year.

The federal agency said that the country's farmers reported planting 528,000 acres (214,000ha) of fresh produce during the spring months, a fall of 3 per cent on 2008.

According to Statistics Canada, vegetable growers planted around 240,000 acres (97,000ha) of produce, down 1.3 per cent on the previous year, with sweetcorn, green peas, carrots, beans and tomatoes the most prevalent.

Farmers indicated increased plantings of lettuce, broccoli, cucumbers, gherkins, leeks and shallots, while also reporting that fewer peas, tomatoes, onions and carrots had been plated than in 2008.

Meanwhile, fruit growers planted 288,000 acres (116,000ha) of produce, with 190,000 (77,000ha) acres bearing fruit – a year-on-year fall of 3.6 per cent.

Of this total, apples, blueberries and grapes make up 82.6 per cent of planted area, with plantings of grapes and cranberries increasing this year.