By Bird Bouchard
The Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA) has unveiled the results of a survey on the impact of inflation, rising production costs and soaring interest rates on the financial situation of Quebec farms.
According to the report, farmers are particularly affected by inflation, so much so that 11 per cent of them plan to stop or close their business.
The results show the increase in the cost of production inputs, such as fertilizers, fuel and seeds, was three times higher (28 per cent) than inflation (12 per cent) between January 2020 and September 2022.
Madeleine Labonté of Ferme Jardins des Bocages said at the beginning of 2020, her prices were the same. However, because of the cost of inflation and seeing the increases in price of things such as manure and gas, she was forced to raise her prices.
“Of course, our prices went up a little bit, but I can’t say I sold my carrots at three times the cost just to keep up with inflation,” she said.
Labonté sets up at the Lennoxville public market in Square Queen each Saturday from June to October. Despite slightly increasing her prices to battle inflation, she said her customers remained loyal and were understanding.
