In the last 15 years, the Ontario processing tomato industry has worked hard to remain competitive in what has become a global marketplace.  Embracing innovative ideas has resulted in achievements that rank Ontario as a relatively small but world class player in the processing tomato industry.

 

In the late 1980's the Ontario tomato industry faced the prospect of Free Trade with the United States.  The industry quickly realized that without significant changes Ontario would disappear as a production area.  In order to compete with the 2 other major North American production areas; California and the Midwest U.S., Ontario growers and processors worked together to develop a productivity pricing system.  This system allowed growers to focus on improving yields/acre and offered lower unit costs to Ontario processors.  Not long after, the industry moved to an end-use pricing structure that provided processors with competitive prices for three separate and distinct end uses (juice, whole pack and paste).  Both productivity pricing and end use pricing are still in place today.

 

Other strategies were also required to be competitive and support these new systems.  These included the development of new varieties, strategic research and improved technology.  In 1997, a partnership between growers and processors led to the formation of the Ontario tomato Research Institute (OTRI) with the primary purpose to invest in research projects relating to all aspects of processing tomatoes.  Since 1997, the industry has invested more than 1 million dollars in projects ranging from pesticide trials to solids studies to breeding work.  The Ontario Processing Tomato Advisory Committee (OPTAC), also a joint processor and grower organization, is a further example of the industry's commitment to work together by overseeing and ensuring the grading and quality standards for tomatoes.  OPTAC continually looks at new improvements in equipment and grading methods, and faster and more efficient ways to transfer information to the industry throughout the season.

 

While embracing change within the Ontario system, the industry also saw huge opportunity in joining forces with other tomato producing countries and became founding members of the World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC) an organization whose mandate is to work towards increased consumption of tomato products through fair competition and collaboration of growers and processors from around the world.  The WPTC works to achieve this mandate through four unique commissions which include: the exchange of information; tomatoes and health; international legislation and generic promotion.  The opportunity to dialogue with other industry personnel throughout the world has assisted Ontario in accessing the expertise of other areas.

 

Today the Ontario processing tomato industry has lots to feel good about.  Where yields were once mired below 20 tons per acre, in 2006, the average yield was 41.1 tons/acre (see chart below).  Total harvested volumes have been in excess of 600,000 tons in 4 of the last 5 years, a level rarely reached before Free Trade.  Further, the ability to reliably produce a crop every year has been enhanced through the widespread adoption of boom and drip irrigation, and the industry's well earned reputation for being able to handle inclement weather at harvest.  Nevertheless while past experience has for the most part been positive, the Ontario industry must continue to work collaboratively to address the challenges faced.  There is no reason to believe that this will not continue into the future.