The disappearance of maple syrup, a real trend or a simple epiphenomenon? The reserves of this sweet commodity located in Quebec (Canada) have never shown such a low level for sixteen years: in 2023 they were only 3.1 million kilos, while they are planned to be able to accommodate up to ’to 60 million kilos of maple syrup. Barely four years ago, they were still valued at 47 million kilos.
“The strategic reserve contains the lowest quantity of maple syrup since 2008,” confirms Simon Doré-Ouellet, deputy general director of Maple Syrup Producers of Quebec, to our British colleagues at the BBC. However, he wants to be reassuring, and says he does not foresee “any supply problems in the near future”. The availability or possible inflation of the price of sugary liquid should not be on the agenda for consumers, in the short term at least.
Because the trend appears more worrying in the longer term since Canadian reserves have decreased at a staggering rate since 2020, falling by 93%. This is a bad signal sent by the Canadian industry in the sector, estimated at more than 900 million euros per year, and which represents 75% of global maple syrup production.
The main argument put forward by Canadian experts to find the reasons for this depletion of stocks is simple: global warming. The production of maple syrup, which generally takes place between the beginning of March and the end of April, must respond to a precarious balance: a positive temperature during the day, a nighttime temperature below the freezing point. night. And between 2021 and 2023, the land of the maple leaf experienced its warmest springs in the entire country.
And 2024 is already part of this logic: the temperatures from December to February were the hottest recorded by meteorologists since 1948, the beginning of records. “So far, production has been abundant and the weather forecasts are encouraging for the coming weeks throughout Quebec,” says Simon Doré-Ouellet reassuringly. The latter added on British radio that 14 million new taps (the means to extract syrup from maple trees) had been made available to producers to allow the stock level to return to a less worrying level. “As the reserve helps stabilize the maple syrup market for producers and buyers, it is important that it be replenished.” All pancake lovers keep their fingers crossed.
