Statistical Overview of the CaSntaadtiisatnic aFlr uOitv Ienrdvuieswtr yo f the 20C15a n adian Fruit Industry

British Columbia’s fruit production was hampered by an unusual combination of extreme weather events, with an unprecedented and persistent heat wave, referred to by meteorologists as a “heat dome,” which covered most of the province and western Canada between June 25 and July 1, 2021, and a series of devastating winter floods in November 2021 affecting the southern, central and coastal regions of. [...] Ontario, which accounts for the largest share of Canada’s grape and wine production, experienced one of its most challenging and longest harvests in 2021, stemming from high summer temperatures and record rainfall in September and October, with the Grape Growers of Ontario reporting 49% more rain during that period in 2021 compared with the 10-year average. [...] With a production volume of 351,565 metric tons, apples continued to lead the fruit sector in terms of tonnage, accounting for 41.5% of the total production of Canadian fruit in 2021. [...] Nonetheless, Canada’s fresh and frozen fruit exports have grown by 30.2% over the last five years to reach an all-time high of almost $904 million in 2021, while the country’s fresh and frozen fruit imports have increased by 13.3% during the same time to reach their highest level of $6.9 billion in 2021. [...] In 2021, the top three fruit imports by dollar value were grapes ($669 million), strawberries ($643 million) and bananas ($575 million), accounting for 9.7%, 9.4% and 8.4%, respectively, of the total value of the country’s fresh and frozen fruit imports.