The 2021 Maple Syrup Harvest
Québec Registers an Average Yield
LONGUEUIL, QC, June 2, 2021 /CNW Telbec/ - Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) and the Conseil de l'industrie de l'érable (CIE) report that the trend of record maple syrup harvests ended in 2021. Production for the entire province is estimated at 133 million pounds of syrup. This is considered an average harvest. The announcement came a few days after QMSP's Annual General Meeting.
Warm Spring — Short Harvest Season
The warm temperatures experienced across Québec in April brought about an unusual occurrence: all maple syrup producing regions saw their harvest seasons begin – and end prematurely – at the same time.
Fortunately, QMSP has the wherewithal to mitigate Mother Nature's unpredictability. The Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve holds enough stock to meet the industry's short- and medium-term needs for "conventional" product. And, as stocks decline (as is currently the case for organic syrup), QMSP can issue additional quotas so that producers can address that demand. This is one of the issues under discussion in the coming days. "We'll be analyzing maple syrup sales and make projections for what we'll need going forward. This will help us assess whether new quotas are in order," said QMSP president Serge Beaulieu.
As for the harvest being poorer than last year's, Mr. Beaulieu adopts a tone of reassurance: "I've been making maple syrup for over 40 years. I've seen bad harvests, average harvests, and exceptional harvests, like we had in 2020. These are the realities of the profession. Yes, it can hit the producer's bottom line. That's why it's important to have crop insurance. But also remember: producers get paid for their syrup when it's sold from the reserve."
On behalf of authorized buyers of bulk maple syrup, Conseil de l'industrie de l'érable president Sylvain Lalli foresees no drop anywhere in consumer demand for 2021. The pandemic had absolutely no downward effect on the appetite for maple syrup in any market. Bulk buyers snapped up 147 million pounds from QMSP last year, an increase of more than 14% from the year previous. Foreign exports in 2020, meanwhile, rose 21.9% over 2019 and, according to statistics for the first few months of 2021, sales are holding strong and look promising for the rest of the year.
Estimated Average Yield, Maple Syrup Production, and Number of Taps, | ||||
Administrative Region | Number of Enterprises1 | Yield | Maple Syrup Production | Taps |
Pounds/Tap | Pounds | |||
Chaudières-Appalaches | 3 140 | 2,59 | 49 052 072 | 18 951 400 |
Bas-St-Laurent, Gaspsie | 554 | 3,32 | 28 246 184 | 8 519 663 |
Estrie | 823 | 2,54 | 20 964 105 | 8 258 129 |
Centre-du-Québec | 724 | 2,69 | 13 447 631 | 4 997 020 |
Montérégie | 503 | 2,57 | 8 216 113 | 3 201 698 |
Capitale-Nationale | 187 | 2,84 | 4 052 185 | 1 425 506 |
Laurentides, Outaouais, | 165 | 2,82 | 4 664 612 | 1 656 039 |
Mauricie | 83 | 3,02 | 1 836 939 | 608 041 |
Lanaudière, Laval, Montréal | 135 | 3,25 | 2 353 218 | 724 374 |
Total | 6 314 | Average: 2.75 | 132 833 059 | 48 341 870 |
1. 6,314 maple enterprises held quotas and produced syrup in the 2021 season. | ||||
Maple Syrup in Good Supply, Where and When You Want It
The old saying applies: When the going gets tough, the tough get going. Maple producers rolled up their sleeves in the pandemic by adjusting their business models, with many now offering their products for sale online and right from the sugar bush. Consumers can go to erabledici.ca and find their favourite (and new) maple products for purchase and/or delivery. The website is searchable by region or product, whether it's taffy, butter, sugar, and so on. It's a great way to support our hard-working maple producers. You could even adopt one as your own!
About Québec Maple Syrup Producers and the Érable du Québec brand
The mission of Québec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) is to promote the interests of Québec maple producers and to develop the production and sales of Québec maple products to their full potential, while respecting the principles of sustainable development. We represent 11,300 maple producers and 7,400 maple enterprises, whose quality work has led Québec to provide an annual average of 72% of the world's maple syrup supply. QMSP proudly promotes the Érable du Québec brand and coordinates the marketing and promotion of Canadian maple products abroad (Maple from Canada) on behalf of the Canadian maple industry. QMSP also leads and directs the activities of the International Maple Research and Innovation Network.
QMSP.ca – @AcericoleQc
SOURCE Producteurs et productrices acéricoles du Québec
Hélène Normandin, Director of Corporate Communications, Québec Maple Syrup Producers, [email protected], Office: 450-679-7021, ext. 8427, Cell: 514-603-0728
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