Canadian-grown eggplant and okra have replaced about 800,000 kg of imports over the past several years, creating a research-to-grower-to-market success story.
The Vineland Research and Innovation Centre has played a central role helping with research and bringing together the parts of the industry needed to create a food chain success. The eggplant and okra case has created a template for the development of other vegetable and fruit value chains.
The program started as the Feeding Diversity program at Vineland, and also has been known as the World Crops program.
Imports of eggplant have been declining since 2013, according to Michael Brownbridge, research director in horticultural production systems at Vineland. Imported eggplant has been replaced by eggplant produced in Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia. There’s also been some interest from Manitoba, he said.
“The opportunity is for new vegetables,” Brownbridge told the annual meeting of the Eastern Canada Farm Writers’ Association at the research centre. “But more than just vegetables, fruits and vegetables.”
Displacing eggplant is small potatoes compared to the total Canadian import of vegetables, which totals $5 billion each year. There’s $80 million worth of ethnic vegetables imported into the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) each month, Brownbridge said.
That means there is lots of opportunity to replace other imports. He also believes there’s room for exports of eggplants and okra to the U.S.
