Increased foreign competition, lack of manpower, automation, new regulations, etc. The Quebec agri-food sector faces many challenges. Despite adversity, companies are resilient. State of the province’s largest industrial employer in these uncertain economic times.
According to Maryse Dumont, president of the council of partners for the agri-food innovation zone project in the Saint-Hyacinthe region, foreign competition is the number one issue.
“Take a look at the supermarket,” she said, “and you’ll see that there are a lot of products on the shelves that come from all over the world. And very often, our processors find themselves in a weak position vis-à-vis countries where there are few regulations, unlike here. »
Moreover, according to the Union of Agricultural Producers (UPA), the Quebec agri-food sector is generally less supported than its main competitors.
Based on about $6 in government support per $100 of revenue, UPA says, producers here have one of the lowest ratios in the world relative to the value of production, when compared for example to the United States ($8) and the European Union ($19).
The organization points out that a distinction must be made between agri-food, which includes agriculture and food processing, and bio-food, which includes the agri-food sector, distribution (retail sale, grocery stores, etc.) and fisheries.
The UPA estimates that the agri-food industry has a growth potential of 20% by 2030.
“The processing sector must remain efficient, competitive and profitable, since 70% of what is produced by agricultural businesses in Quebec is processed. »
Another major issue, the lack of workers means that agri-food companies have to put projects on hold or simply reduce their supply. In this sense, the industry must imperatively focus on innovation, believes Maryse Dumont. “We need to automate operations, take the 4.0 shift in factories. Governments are there to help businesses,” she confirms.
Mitchell Leahy, vice-president of operations and production at Vergers Leahy, an SME located in Franklin, near the American border, is grappling with this reality.
The SME specializing in the manufacture of compote and pie filling had to turn to foreign workers, in this case from Mauritius and Tunisia. It has just welcomed 11 and wishes to add twenty more as soon as possible. But the process is slow.
Vergers Leahy, which processes 56 million kilograms of apples annually, must also work hard to attract and retain talent. As proof, it opened a daycare service with 28 places (all filled!) in its facilities.
“We are not discouraged, wishes to specify Mitchell Leahy, whose family has been in the apples since 1880. But projects must be prioritized more than before. Lead times are longer, costs are higher. It adds stress. Consultants started coming to see us for our automation projects. The help is there, but to do everything, it takes manpower. »
Dimitri Fraeys, vice-president of Innovation and Economic Affairs at the Conseil de la transformation alimentation du Québec (CTAQ), refuses to be alarmist. He prefers to refer to the current period as “headwinds”.
“Companies are adapting and making choices. Our industry is very resilient,” he points out.
The manager points out that the agri-food industry is the leading manufacturing employer in Quebec. “That represents 75,000 workers in factories and 25,000 at suppliers, in addition to indirect jobs. From field to plate, that’s one in eight jobs in Quebec,” he says.
According to Fraeys, the sector is working hard to attract young people into its wake.
“We are going to visit the schools, because we have to change the perception that these are not interesting jobs. It’s very diverse. IT, quality management, logistics, marketing, public affairs; all types of jobs are represented. »
The modernization of selective collection and deposit is another element that will be added to the many responsibilities of the agri-food sector. As of January 2025, companies will be responsible for the containers, packaging and printed matter they use.
“For example, all ready-to-drink containers from 100ml to 2L will be returnable. That will be 4 billion returnable containers to manage. It’s going to be quite a puzzle, but it has to be done,” believes Dimitri Fraeys.
