The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Processors Association is growing impatient waiting for a decision on recommendations for the province's independent Farm Products Marketing Commission.
The group wants Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal to put forth a recommendation to prevent what they feel is a small cartel of directors with the Ontario Processing Vegetable Growers from unilaterally imposing terms on the vegetable processing sector.
OFVPA Chair Karl Evans says the delay is causing orders to be cancelled, putting jobs at risk while drying up investments.
The Minister's office points out it has directed the marketing commission to develop a plan for consultation with industry stakeholders who may be concerned about the framework of the vegetables for processing industry.
Evans says that years of consultation have gone by without change.
He notes the Minister's delays won't allow him to fulfill the mandate put forth by the Premier earlier this year about growing the industry by 120,000 jobs by 2020.
