Digging Deeper for Vegetables

Time for a budget revision:  consumers are being told to expect to pay more for fresh vegetables.  Growers are talking about increases of 10 to 15-cent for vegetables sold in supermarkets.

The Quebec Association of Vegetable Growers points out that the cost of diesel, used to heat greenhouses, has jumped by 70-percent in the past year.  The price of fertilizer is up by 25-percent and packaging has gone up by more than 10-percent.  Transportation costs have also risen considerably in the past year.

Last summer, Quebec vegetable growers weren't able to raise their supermarket prices because abundant harvests resulted in an over-supply.