What goes up must go down. After a record maple syrup harvest last year, Canada’s crop of the brown stuff has come crashing down like a stack of flapjacks that was piled too high.
Driving the news: Canadian maple syrup output fell to a five-year low, dropping 40.1% from last year due to sudden temperature swings and intense storms which killed sap flow.
- The drop hit all maple-producing provinces, but Québec — producer of over 90% of the country’s maple syrup — was hit the hardest, impacted by a late spring ice storm.
Why it matters: Global appetite for maple syrup is on the rise as it makes headway in new markets, like Germany. Canada, which accounts for over three-quarters of the world’s supply, risks missing a sticky gold rush if it can’t produce enough to meet demand.
- Producers have already dipped into the strategic maple syrup reserve, which is now running low — down from 100 million pounds two years ago to 15 million pounds.
What’s next: Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QSMP), an industry regulatory body, is trying to increase outputs. It approved the allotment of 7 million new tree taps for the next harvest season, a move projected to add an average of over 22 million pounds to the annual supply.
Yes, but: The QSMP estimates 120 million new taps are needed by 2080 to satisfy the world’s maple cravings, which would require permission to tap more trees on Québec’s Crown lands.—QH