Following a spring in which the Canadian market was flooded with cucumbers, west coast greenhouse suppliers are reporting a much stronger fall market.
“We had a really tough time in the first two quarters,” says John Newell of Windset Farms Inc., based out of Delta, B.C. “From September through November, we’ve done much better.” Newell explains that expanding and new facilities, particularly in Ontario, oversaturated supply from spring through the summer, making Canada “a tough market.”
“There was a lot of building in Leamington,” Newell says, referring to the Ontario hub for greenhouse vegetable growers. “That put pressure on pricing.”
Delay on Mexican crops aids recovery
With the shift to fall, supply levels have stabilized and the market has followed. “In general the cucumber market is fairly balanced,” Newell says of current conditions. “We’re not seeing great pricing, but it’s not too bad,” Newell notes, explaining that with the lead-up to American thanksgiving, increased demand led to a slight uptick in prices, before levelling off in the past week.
Newell explains that a slight delay on Mexico’s first shipments this season, caused by storm activity, helped the market to recover. “Overall production out of Mexico isn’t overbearing,” Newell says. He adds that the bulk of the Mexican crop will hit the market in January, which may drive down prices at that time.
