Sector Statistics

Did you know that ornamental horticulture is the largest sector of horticulture in Canada, as measured by gross farm receipts reported by Statistics Canada?

The latest 2018 data shows that the sector generated $2.3 billion in farmgate sales across Canada.

Sub-sector

Sales and resales in millions of C$

Greenhouse flower and plant sales

$1,556.7

Nursery stock sales and resales

 643.5

Sod

140.4

Total

$2,340.6

Source:  Statistical Overview of the Canadian Ornamental Industry 2018 prepared by Crops and Horticulture Division, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, September 2019

What is the value of the sector’s exports?

In 2018, the sector exported over $543 million in products, primarily to the US market.  Imports during 2018 are estimated at $547 million. The sector is trade neutral with the value of exports and imports about the same.  Many of the imports are cut flowers such as roses and carnations from countries like Columbia ($111 million) and Ecuador ($36.5 million). The number of rose stems produced in Canadian greenhouses declined from 5.9 million in 2014 to 3.6 million in 2018. Canadian growers specialize in cut flowers that are less able to be shipped long distances by air such as tulip stems and gerbera.

How many people does the sector employ in Canada?

In 2018, 26,423 people were directly employed in the production of ornamental products.

Subsector

Seasonal

Permanent

Total

Nursery

6,806

3,048

9,854

Sod

1,072

392

1,464

Greenhouse floral

9,725

5,380

15,105

Total

17,603

8,820

26,423

The Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council (CAHRC) released the following information recently:

  • In 2014, the ‘greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture’ industry employed 60,600 people, or roughly 16% of the total agricultural workforce, making it the largest employer in the sector.
  • Foreign workers account for 28% of the industry’s workforce at its seasonal peak. Even with a high percentage of foreign workers, the industry was unable to fill 2,800 jobs in 2014.
  • The industry’s workforce is geographically concentrated, with 41% of the total workforce located in Ontario, 20% located in Alberta, and 15% located in Quebec.
  • Production levels are expected to increase by 2.5% per year between 2015 and 2025, which makes the ‘greenhouse, nursery, and floriculture’ industry second only to the ‘grain and oilseed’ industry in terms of production growth during this time.
  • To achieve the level of output required to meet the market demand for industry products, the industry will need to increase its workforce to 71,000 workers, which means it will need to fill an additional 7,500 jobs by 2025. This is a growth rate of 1% per year over a period of 10 years.

More information is available in CAHRC’s Labour Market Information Reportat:https://cahrc-ccrha.ca/programs/agrilmi/commodity-data/greenhouse-nursery-and-floriculture

ORNAMENTAL PRODUCTS INCLUDE ALL NURSERY STOCK (SUCH AS TREES, SHRUBS AND PERENNIALS), POTTED PLANTS, BEDDING PLANTS, CUT FLOWERS, SOD AND CHRISTMAS TREES.

Infographics

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Benefits Literature Review

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