A newly released pricing study from Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers (OGVG) mirrors what growers across Ontario's fruit and vegetable sector are experiencing: consumers are paying more, while farmers are often getting less.
The study found that returns to greenhouse vegetable growers have declined despite increasing retail food prices, highlighting a growing disconnect between what consumers pay at the grocery store and what farmers receive for their produce.
While the study focused specifically on the Ontario greenhouse vegetable sector, similar pressures are being felt by fruit and vegetable growers across Ontario as production costs continue to climb and market uncertainty increases.
"These findings confirm what fruit and vegetable growers across Ontario in general have been experiencing for some time: rising food prices do not mean farmers are receiving more for their crops," says Alison Robertson, executive director of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growers' Association (OFVGA). "Growers are being squeezed by rising costs, increasing production risks and purchasing practices that push more financial pressure back onto the farm. The result is that consumers are paying more while farmers are often getting less."
Costs for fuel, fertilizer, labour, transportation, packaging, equipment, and other essential inputs needed to grow crops have increased significantly. Recent OFVGA analysis found diesel prices have increased by approximately 53 per cent year over year, while fertilizer costs are up between 20 and 30 per cent.
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