Importance of the Industry

Definitive numbers are not available on the extent of greenhouse vegetable production worldwide, but Table 1 provides 1995 estimates. Current numbers are probably higher, at least for North America. For 1999, greenhouse vegetable acreage in Canada, the US and Mexico were estimated at 630, 280 and 450 ha, respectively [1], showing substantial increases from 1995 mainly because greenhouse tomatoes represent an increasingly important segment of North American tomato consumption. As a whole, tomato consumption has only increased by 2-3% per year, but North American greenhouse tomato consumption has increased 90 percent [2].

The number of US operations (Fig. 1), acreage (Fig. 2) and sales (Fig. 3) have all increased sharply from 1987 to 1997. Increases are expected to continue for at least the next few years, according to trade sources, which report that many greenhouse growers expect to increase their growing area anywhere from 20 to 50 percent because of increasing demand. Only a few years ago, greenhouse tomatoes represented only 5% of total US consumption. Greenhouse tomatoes now represent 10%, and some industry sources expect that number to increase to 30-40%. In addition to more US production, US imports of greenhouse tomatoes from Canada and the Netherlands increased dramatically from 1993 to 1997: 692 percent for Canada and 379 percent for the Netherlands [3].

Table 1. Estimates of greenhouse vegetable acreage (ha) in various countries [38].