Before 2017, “the three previous years were stable, with a good balance of rain and sun that gave us record yields,” Plante recalls. But last year, he notes, “Several regions received hail [while others] on the south shore of Montreal were flooded by heavy rains.”
The torrential downfalls ended up preventing growers from planting some crops, then caused worries about pollination in some areas. The better news, however, was that the delays did not materially affect production for most crops as corn, apples, blueberries, and potatoes had good harvests, with higher yields for strawberries, but a lower haul for cranberries.
Transportation and Shipping
Transportation brokers also encountered their share of bumps in the road last year. “The last two years were extremely difficult due to the economic downturn and driver shortages,” cites Mark Tekin, general manager of Mont-Cal Logistics Inc. in LaSalle, a southwest borough of Montreal. The shortage continued into early 2018, with many shippers scrambling to find trucks.
The mandate for electronic logging devices in the United States is also exacerbating the situation. Compliance began on December 18, 2017 with a 90-day waiver for agricultural shippers to meet the new federal standards. Combined with other U.S. food safety rules and implementations, cross-border buying and selling got much more complicated at the end of 2017 and into this year.
What’s to Come
While buyers and sellers of Quebec’s fresh produce faced ups and downs this year, most would simply say “C’est la vie” or such is life—and maintain a positive outlook as the province’s residents not only love fresh produce, but are eating more of it.
“Montreal is a very ethnic city with so much diversity, and our people are known as produce consumers,” Della Santina shares. “I see a bright future for the produce industry.”
Image: Marc Bruxelle/Shutterstock.com
