‘22 Carrot gold: Rooting out some valuable numbers on World Carrot Day

The carrot is one of those rare vegetables that you can use to make a cake. It also has a great crunch when eaten raw. Canadian farmers grow more carrots than any other root vegetable.

While April 4 marks World Carrot Day, farmers in most regions of Canada will not be seeding until late May since carrots need warm soil to germinate and thrive. Canadian farmers planted 9 550 hectares of carrots last spring, equivalent to approximately 11,815 Canadian Football League fields.

Carrot production falls for the fourth consecutive year

Canadian farmers pulled 348 135 metric tonnes of carrots out of the ground in 2022, with 96.7% making it to market. Canadian farmers grew enough carrots in 2022 to make 1 billion carrot cakes.

Nevertheless, this was the lowest carrot production since 2014.

More cash for carrots

Canadian farmers received 10.5% more cash for their carrots in 2022 compared with a year earlier, with sales reaching a record high $153.9 million.

This February, Canadians were paying on average 13.6% more year over year for “other fresh vegetables,” which includes carrots, and paying $3.54 for a standard 1.36-kilogram bag.

Carrot farm gate receipts in Ontario surpass Quebec for the third time in four years

While carrots are grown commercially in every province, approximately four-fifths (79.4%) of the carrots sold by Canadian farmers in the fall of 2022 sprung from Ontario and Quebec fields.

Carrot production in Ontario rose 0.8% from a year earlier to 159 380 metric tonnes in 2022. However, this was over one-third (36.0%) lower than the record high 248 985 metric tonnes grown in 2011.

Quebec farmers grew 117 382 metric tonnes of carrots in 2022, their best harvest since 2013.

Ontario farmers planted 3 999 hectares of carrots in 2022, marketed 157 613 metric tonnes and received $61.3 million for their efforts, while Quebec farmers planted 3 644 hectares, marketed 108 389 metric tonnes and received $60.8 million.

Ontario carrot farmers have planted and sold more carrots than Quebec farmers every year since 2000, but don’t necessarily get more farm gate receipts than their eastern neighbours each year. In fact, while Ontario farmers have received more cash for their carrots in three of the past four years, Quebec farmers have brought home the most carrot farm gate receipts nationally 12 times since 2000, one more than Ontario’s 11.

You can find out which province captures this years’ “carrot cash crown” in February 2024, with the release of 2023 fruit and vegetable farming data.