Canada taps maple syrup reserves to meet demand
Quebec makes almost three-quarters of the world’s supply, treated like gold
Laurierville, Dec. 18: Pancake lovers, fear not. Strong demand for maple syrup after a poor Canadian harvest has created supply-side woes, but Quebec province is tapping its strategic reserves to keep the world awash in the sweet, sticky stuff.
Experts are warning the shortages could be further compounded by climate change, which is already being blamed for last spring’s shorter and warmer sugaring season.
To avoid shortages, the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers said it has released more than half of its stockpile of syrup.
“It’s normal, that’s what we want: The reserves must be the buffer between temperature, demand and production,” explained the organisation’s president Serge Beaulieu.
Quebec makes almost three-quarters of the world’s supply, and the organisation — sometimes called the OPEC of maple syrup — represents more than 11,000 producers.
The group’s massive reserves in the town of Laurierville, near Quebec City, are emblematic of Canada’s hugely lucrative maple syrup industry.
Housed in a warehouse the size of five football fields, tens of thousands of barrels, each containing 45 gallons (205 litres), are stacked row upon row, up to the ceiling.
In Canada, maple syrup is serious business. Often called “Quebec gold” in the region, it sometimes has been treated more like gold itself.
During the “Great Canadian Maple Syrup Heist” a decade ago, thieves stole Can$18.7 million worth of maple syrup from the facility. At present, however, the only siphoning is to relieve market shortages: At the start of the year, some 105 million pounds were stored here. The stockpile has since been whittled down to only 37 million pounds.
The sap harvest usually starts in March, when temperatures are above freezing during the day but below zero degrees Celsius (32 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight.
Harvesters traditionally hammered spiles into tree trunks and let the sap drip into buckets,. —