TORONTO — Ontario fruit and vegetable growers face smaller crops and higher costs as parts of southern and eastern Ontario suffer through severe drought.
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) says the regions northeast of Toronto and northeast of Ottawa are at levels of drought expected just once every 20 years.
The federal department says some corn and soybean farmers have reported wilted crops and predicted lower productivity for this growing season.
The chair of the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Growrs' Association says this is the driest transition from June to July he has ever seen.
Jason Verkaik said dry spells can mean high costs for farmers, who have to drastically increase the watering of their crops, but adds that those costs are unlikely to hurt the consumer.
Verkaik said the more likely outcome is that Ontario farmers would have to lower their prices or take a loss in order to stay competitive with foreign food growers.
