The Maple Syrup Reserve Is Empty, So Quebec's Weather Is the Buffer Now
Maple sap yields depend on the weather, so the producers' association set up a strategic reserve to keep prices and supply relatively stable. The head of Quebec's maple syrup producers' association says the province's reserve has run dry amid high demand for the product.
Goulet said at the release of a report on the industry's economic benefits that the reserve has been reduced to zero. He says the industry could lose customers if weather conditions prove less favourable for maple sap flow. He points to the stock shortages of 2007 and 2008 as the example of what that costs.
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Goulet frames the empty buffer as a demand story: he says it has been exhausted as sales continue to rise. The council representing authorized buyers adds that Quebec syrup is gaining market share abroad, with exports up 9.34 per cent in 2024 over the previous year.
The export picture is less triumphant than 'gaining market share' sounds: in 2026 the rise slowed to 2.48 per cent from January through August, against the same period a year earlier. And nearly 65 per cent of maple syrup exports still go to the United States, so diversification has a long way to run.