LONGUEIL, Que.—Quebec sugarmakers smashed the province’s syrup production record this season.

Production this spring came in at 175 million pounds of syrup, an average of 3.59 pounds per tap, according to the Maple Syrup Producers of Quebec (PPAQ) and the Maple Industry Council (CIE). 

The number far outpaced last year’s production total of 159 million pounds, the previous record.  The province has approximately 11,300 producers and claims to make 72 percent of the global maple syrup crop.

"We are delighted with this announcement, and it is certainly welcome, after a season that started with uncertainty and which was strewn with pitfalls," said Serge Beaulieu, President of PPAQ since 2007.

"Resilience and ingenuity which the maple syrup producers have shown in the past few months has been rewarded and I am very happy. This funny year will undoubtedly remain etched in our memories and in the history of our organization!" Beaulieu said.

Sugarmakers in the province have added an additional 2.3 million taps in the past two years. That, along with a rather cold April may explain this particularly exceptional season, Beaulieu said.

Maple syrup production in Quebec is controlled by a government-sanctioned cartel, which annually sets prices paid to producers, allocates a quota of taps and acts as a selling agent for all of the sugarmakers in the province.  

The vast majority of the crop will be put into warehouse storage, called the Strategic Reserve, added in with unsold syrup from previous seasons.  The producers association said that retail sales of Quebec-made syrup, much of which is sold in the United States, have been brisk.

“Despite the pandemic, the demand for syrup for retail sales has remained very strong so far and we hope that sales to hotels, restaurants and institutions (HRI) and in gift shops, greatly impacted, will recover,” said Sylvain Lalli, president of the Maple Industry Council.

The producers association said that COVID-19 brought its share of challenges to sugarbushes this year. 

The PPAQ quickly put measures in place to minimize the spread of the virus and the consequences for producers, the group said.

The delivery of barrels of maple syrup, direct sales to the farm, cleaning of equipment and trips between regions have been revised to ensure business continuity while respecting the hygiene rules issued by the government, the group said.