To date wide spread specialization of the Ontario apple industry has not occurred. There are only a few specialized apple producers in Ontario, and for that reason Ontario is importing approximately 40 - 50% of its total fresh apple requirements. Most Ontario apple producers are very small and have yet to focus their efforts solely to the efficient production of high quality consumption apples. Current Ontario apple orchards are a low density design which only allow for 300 to 500 trees per acre. With present technology and new management techniques it is possible to grow high density orchards with more than 1,000 apple trees per acre. Allowing more apples to be produced on less acreage

Ontario apple orchards are aging, with more than 75% of them being over 10 years old. These older trees are unable to produce high quality consumption apples and are mainly producing apples for the juice and processed market, leaving the fresh market open to imports. Many Ontario producers have neglected to renew their orchards on a large scale as they tend to focus on the ever growing juice market. This has resulted in a shortage of high quality, Grade A consumption apples grown in Ontario. Since Ontario apple producers have neglected to renew their orchards in the past. The result has been a lower demand for young trees at the nursery level.

Currently nurseries have limited quantities of new apple trees available. Over time nurseries have become small and there is no capacity to produce significant numbers of young apple trees and/or new varieties. Since there is no base to produce substantial quantities of new apple varieties, the consumer rarely sees a new variety on their grocers’ shelf. This has opened the door for new varieties to be grown in Ontario by Global Fruit. The benefit of young apple trees is that new varieties can be planted, they reach the production phase faster and young trees produce a higher quality of apple for the fresh market. The production level of a young orchard is triple that of an older orchard on a per acre basis. Over the last decade Ontario’s apple industry has been caught in a downward spiral as there have been no new developments in this industry. This is leading to less acreage devoted to producing apples, lower capacities and without intervention will result in the disappearance of apple production in Ontario.