Due to a number of factors, including consistency of supply and increasing consumer awareness, greenhouse vegetables have enjoyed a steady gain in popularity. Going into the first half of 2012, greenhouse vegetable growers are optimistic about the new year.
Doug Kling, Senior VP and Chief Marketing Officer for Village Farms, notes that they forecast good demand for greenhouse vegetables in 2012.
“Tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers are all a little ahead of last year. Market demand for high-tech greenhouse vegetables looks strong going into the first two quarters of 2012,” he says.
He reports that prices have been stable, though there was a slight disruption with a freeze in Florida which affected short-term prices for a couple of weeks.
Overall, he says that consumers are becoming more aware of greenhouse produce.
“A number of factors have gone into rising consumer demand. One of them is safety and quality considerations that have arisen in the produce industry in general. We also have consistency of supply because we're not subject to weather factors. There's also been more consumer awareness because of trends toward knowing where produce comes from. People want to know where their vegetables come from and that they're grown sustainably.”
He says that these factors have contributed to a steady growth in popularity.
He adds, “there's been slow, growing awareness of greenhouse produce.”