With mild weather expected to hit Quebec in the coming weeks, expectations are high for the province's maple producers, who are hoping for a good sugar season to replenish their coffers.
• Also read: The maple trees are already declining and that is a problem
On the mountainside in Saint-Malachie, Martin Guay is already preparing to hunt down the leaks in early March.
“I'm still hopeful we'll start early this year,” said the man, who expects more than 15,000 taps in his family's sugar bush. “[Début mars]“I've never seen the shoots running in bunches before,” adds the man, who is particularly afraid of his maple trees suddenly freezing again.
Martin Guay is a maple producer in Saint-Malachie, in the MRC Bellechasse. Photo Jean-Philippe Guilbault
“In recent years, with climate change, we have realized that even though we have the best equipment and the best pumps in the world, Mother Nature always has the final say in the end,” says Mr Guay.
In Rivière-Bleue, in Bas-Saint-Laurent, Justin Plourde also describes the last few days as “unusual”. He has already started collecting “very good quality” maple sap.
“It feels like the beginning of April when the fields are free of snow,” he notes. “There is no heat record that has been broken. […] These are great conditions.”
However, nothing has been won yet, as the mild but not too hot weather is expected to last for several more weeks.
“The Météomedia website has probably never been more popular!” jokes Mr Plourde.
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Recent volatile seasons have eroded the strategic maple syrup reserve, leaving only 15 million pounds of syrup to make up for production shortfalls.
“Last year's small harvest, combined with continued international demand, put a heavy strain on the reserve,” explains Quebec maple syrup producers spokesman Joël Vaudeville.
Not to mention the craze for maple syrup during the pandemic. Between 2019 and 2020, syrup exports increased twice by 20%.
“When it comes to maple syrup, the years follow one another, but are not the same,” admits the spokesman.
Growers are therefore betting big on this season and 7 million additional taps have been approved in the province's maple groves. When maple trees decline, we want to maximize yield.
These new cuts represent nearly half a billion dollars in private investment.
“Our goal is to provide supplies [la réserve stratégique] to £100 million within five years,” said Mr Vaudeville.
Martin Guay shares the same sense of urgency as the association that represents him.
“This year we have no choice: we have to make syrup, because if we still had a small harvest it would be a disaster,” he says. “We are investing significant amounts of money.”
Production of maple syrup in Quebec
- 2019: 159.4 million pounds
- 2020: 175.1 million pounds
- 2021: 132.8 million pounds
- 2022: 211.3 million pounds
- 2023: 124 million pounds
Year-end inventory of the strategic maple syrup reserve
- 2019: 101.5 million pounds
- 2020: 104.8 million pounds
- 2021: 37.4 million pounds
- 2022: 36.5 million pounds
- 2023: 15 million pounds
Source: Quebec maple syrup manufacturer
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