Slowdown in Canada’s organic farming
Canada’s organic farming sector experienced a challenging 2021. Adverse weather conditions in the main organic farming provinces negatively affected fruit production, where volumes were 11.6% lower than in 2020. But organic vegetable production was up by 4.5% from the previous year. Certified organic production accounted for 3.3% of Canada’s total fruit and vegetable output in 2021.
Canada’s certified organic fruit and vegetable acreage remained relatively stable in 2021 at 19,246 hectares (-0.5%). The farm-gate value of certified organic fruit and vegetables increased by 3.1% to $170 million. The growth was due to an increase in the value of vegetables (+13.8%), which more than offset the decline of fruits (-3.6%).
Total organic berry imports increased by 33.8% in 2021 compared with the previous year. Organic strawberries accounted for the biggest portion with 10.7 million kg (+42.8%), followed by organic blueberries with 4.8 million kg (+27.5%), and organic raspberries and loganberries with 3.0 million kg (+16.8%). The bulk of imports came from the US (65.9%) and Mexico (23.0%).
