of greenhouse products in Canada rose 3% to nearly $2.5 billion in 2010, the second consecutive annual increase after a decline in 2008, reports Statistics Canada. The increase in 2010 was mostly the result of a 10% gain in sales of greenhouse vegetables and fruits, which surpassed $1 billion dollars ($1.1 billion) for the first time.
Sales and resales of greenhouse flowers and plants amounted for $1.4 billion in 2010, down 1.8% from 2009. The main factor in the decline was a 17% drop in the resale of flowers and plants. Sales of nursery products rose 1.2% to $644 million.
Sales of grown flowers and plants increased, especially potted plants (+4.7%) and vegetable bedding plants for transplanting (+4.7%). Floriculture represented 56% of total greenhouse product sales in 2010.
Canada had 3,285 greenhouse operations in 2010, down from 3,335 in 2009. However, total greenhouse area increased from about 5,535.2 acres to nearly 5,658.7 acres. Most of this expansion was in greenhouse vegetable production.
Greenhouse vegetable producers continued their expansion. For a fourth consecutive year, the value of greenhouse vegetable sales exceeded sales of field vegetables (including potatoes).
Sales of tomatoes, the most valuable crop, rose 10.9% to $509 million. Sales of peppers increased 14.9% to $270 million, while sales of cucumbers were up 3.1% to $254 million.
For nursery crops, total area remained stable at about 49,421.1 acres. Costs for nursery operators grew 2.3% to $577 million in 2010. Of this total, labor costs accounted for almost 40%. Nurseries employed 14,400 people, nearly three-quarters of whom were seasonal employees.