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The growing area under glass in B.C. increased by 20 per cent in 2018 to about 1,200 acres as the industry expanded to replace space converted for cannabis.

So, despite the cannabis conversions, growers are producing as many tomatoes and peppers as they ever did.

“We had a number of greenhouse growers doing expansions for vegetables, so the amount of greenhouse space dedicated to vegetables has rebounded to its 2017 level,” said Delli Santi. “There are more expansions (for vegetables) on the books for next year and the year after.”

Three major cannabis conversions are in various stages of completion.

Canopy Growth has partnered with bell pepper grower SunSelect Produce to convert 1.7 million square feet of greenhouse space in Delta and 1.3 million square feet in Langley under the name B.C. Tweed.

Photo by Jenelle Schneider / PNG files

A joint venture by Village Farms and Emerald Health Products called Pure SunFarms has switched 1.03 million square feet of greenhouse space to cannabis production in East Delta.

Houweling Nurseries is retrofitting its entire 2.2-million-square-foot (50-acre) greenhouse complex in Delta in partnership with the cannabis multinational Agraflora Organics to grow medicinal and recreational weed.

But it is looking for a site to build a similarly massive greenhouse operation to stay in the tomato business, said general manager Ruben Houweling.

The retrofit and licensing process is being done in stages, which allows Houweling to continue to produce tomatoes and retain staff.

“The plan is for this existing facility to convert to cannabis over a two- to three-year period,” he said. “There is also an opportunity for us to provide young cannabis plants to other growers.”

The venture — Propagation Services Canada — would leverage Houweling’s decades of expertise and existing propagation facilities to provide “flower ready” starter plants to growers in Canada and abroad.

“We have incorporated a lot of efficiencies into our greenhouse operations that will allow us to avoid the high resource and fuel costs that a lot of startups face,” he said.

The nursery recovers carbon dioxide from the exhaust of its heating system, which can then be used to sweeten the air inside the facility with roughly twice the naturally occurring level of CO2.

“We believe cannabis will benefit in the same way that tomatoes do from that extra nourishment,” he said. “It’s a very efficient and sustainable way to use that resource.”

rshore@postmedia.com