Our Build Continues Despite Covid 19 Challenges
August 31, 2020
Over the past months, we have all been inundated with COVID-19 related material. From protocols on social distancing, to the number of cases since we first heard about coronavirus, nothing has affected us as a society this year as much as COVID-19 has. Obviously, Vermillion Growers is not immune to the effects of COVID-19. Indeed, our project has been delayed a few months because social distancing requirements on our construction site have slowed our still steady progress.
There are all kinds of effects of the pandemic that many people don’t see, and we thought it would be interesting to share merely two of the often unseen challenges we are weathering, in good stride, mind you.
1. Supplies. Remember in the early days of COVID-19 it was difficult to secure a number of items at the grocery store? Those shortages were due to a number of issues, but we have similarly been challenged by one fascinating shortage: shipping containers. We have selectively chosen to work with specific vendors, leaders in the industry, some of which are in Europe. Because of the shortage of European shipping containers, some of our orders of components for the greenhouse are delayed. This has been a contributing factor in revising our build schedule. In realistic terms, this means even with a delay, we are still on track to meeting our goal of growing food, people, and community with our project in Manitoba’s Parkland Region.
2. Prices. We know that markets worldwide have been volatile during the COVID pandemic. As a result, we have witnessed fluctuating prices in quotes for imported material as a result of fluctuating currency exchange rates, thanks to the severe economic impact that COVID-19 has had on global markets.The good news is that these fluctuations are well within our planned parameters, allowing us to absorb them.
There are many obvious, and not so visible, challenges as a result of COVID-19. Regardless of these challenges, we actively press forward with construction on our site, as we continue to build!