Expect higher cabbage prices out of Canada this winter. This is the message from growers in Quebec who have had an unusually dry and warm summer. Typically, Quebec produces enough cabbage for supplies to be available all year round. But this year's warm summer has reduced yields and growers are preparing for gaps in supply through winter.
"Supplies of cabbage have been erratic," said Alex Zenebisis of Eagle Export in Montreal. "Quebec sits one meridian above the majority of our clients in the United States. Everything above this meridian, including Quebec, has had a very dry summer. It's been hot and humid with very little rain which is very unusual. Therefore, farmers without an independent water source like a dam or irrigation have seen their cabbage yields fall as well as the product not sizing up."
Higher prices
As a result of the expected cabbage shortage, shippers will likely set prices higher this winter to ease supply pressure from stored product later. Even before winter, the prices have been unstable due to the weather issues.
"Cabbage prices will definitely be higher this winter," Zenebisis noted. "Shippers typically set prices at the beginning of winter based on inventory levels and we can expect this to be on the higher end this year. This season's market started higher but in a year like this, there is always a scenario where we find synchronization in the crops. We time plantings in order to have steady supplies throughout the season. In a dry period though, the cabbage will slow until it receives moisture, in which case it will mature. Therefore, sometimes we have several plantings ready at the same time, resulting in large price adjustments."
Two varieties of cabbage grown in Quebec
The two cabbage crops that are grown in Quebec vary in location, product size and purpose. The summer cabbage is grown south of Montreal and is usually available from July through to the end of November. The other crop is grown north of Montreal. It produces a slightly larger cabbage and is the primary source for the storage crop. It is this latter crop that has suffered the most this summer from the lack of rain. Moreover, growers have observed that these drier weather patterns are occurring more frequently as the climate changes.
"The larger winter crop is sold in bags all the way through to July," Zenebisis shared. "The cabbages are all out of the ground by the first freeze and stored in bins. We usually have an overlap of the new crop cabbage and the stored crop but we don't expect that this year as the stored cabbage supplies will be reduced. In recent years, the weather has become more erratic and we are seeing less of these overlaps."
For more information:
Alex Zenebisis
Eagle Export, Inc.
Tel: +1 (450) 992-0521