Quebec is seeing an improved lettuce crop this season. "The crops are good at the moment and the weather has been good. That's the thing–this year is so normal that it's making it special," says Patrice Riendeau of Le Potager Riendeau Inc.
After all, last year, sizable rains in the province impacted yields which were 50 percent less than normal. "So you were happy when you had your 50 percent yield," says Riendeau, adding that this year there is slightly more lettuce acreage. "That's why this year feels back to normal."
Even though the weather is better this year, when it is raining, Riendeau says it does see damage faster than normal to the lettuce, and that can quickly affect yields too.
Early start for lettuce
Meanwhile, the season also saw an early start. "We planted almost the same day as last year but we started harvesting almost a week ahead. We saw the same thing with celery," says Riendeau, adding that it's about to start harvesting onions and feels that that crop will also be early. The lettuce supply should go until mid-October in Quebec.
As for demand, it's been good though Riendeau says it's really at the mercy of the U.S. market. "There are a lot of big companies there and they're very well established and they're aggressive on pricing. So far we needed to drop our price a bit to export our product but it hasn't been too bad," says Riendeau. Quebec produces generally too much lettuce for the local market to absorb so it ships product to nearby Ontario and exports to the East Coast of the U.S. as well.
All of this greater supply has led to softer pricing compared to last year's pricing. Normally pricing is its lowest at this time of year. "I think that's because all the crops are coming on then and the daylight is also hitting its peak on June 21. So crops grow faster and the offer is really high," says Riendeau.
For more information:
Patrice Riendeau
Le Potager Riendeau Inc.
Tel: +1 (450) 454-9091
[email protected]