In spite of plenty of pear-friendly acres, most of the pears eaten in Canada today are imports. But, it wasn’t always thus. In 1970, 37.6 thousand tons of pears were grown in Canada while imports made up 15.75 thousand tons of pear sales. But by 2014, lo- cal production had dropped to 7.44 thousand tons while imports had spiked to 73.85 thousand tons. Today, Canadian farmers produce less than 10 per cent of the pears consumed annually in Canada down from almost 70 per cent in 1970.
Many growers who once grew pears have switched to other crops, often grapes to feed the burgeoning demand for ice wines.
Why not pears?
Bartlett and Bosc, the two most commonly grown pears in Canada are tricky to grow, vulnerable to fire blight and have a short shelf life. Briefly delicious, they tend to go mushy quickly and have cell structures called sclerids that can result in a gritty texture in the flesh of even fresh fruit
Cold Snap, developed in 1972 by Agriculture and Agri Food Canada. with rights now owned by Ontario’s Vineland Re- search and Innovation Centre, could be a game changer in Canadian pear production. A cross between Bartlett and a fire-blight resistant pear, US56112-146, Cold Snap looks good, tastes good and is disease-resistant. Moreover, it has a much longer life in cold storage than other pear varieties. One year’s harvest can be available till the following March.
Cold Snaps are adaptable to Canada’s varied climate zones. Cold snap trees are more streamlined than the older pear trees and they produce more fruit. An acre of land can accommodate 200 Bartlett trees, or 1,000 Cold Snaps — which adds up to more profits. They bring in about five times more in annual revenue, than Bartletts.
In a February, 2017 article by Hollie Shaw, in the Financial Post, Jim Brandle, Vineland’s chief executive said that Cold Snap is much hardier than other pears. Researchers hope it will be grown in multiple regions across Canada over the next few years.
- Shirley Byers