LONGUEUIL, QUE. -- The Quebec Maple Producers (PPAQ) reported Wednesday that the traditional maple sap harvesting season is underway in the southern regions of Quebec.
The organization said that the temperatures which rose above the freezing point during the day and fell below zero at night for the past few days have enabled a large number of some 11,300 Quebec maple syrup producers to harvest maple sap, the first step in the maple syrup production process.
The PPAQ said 2020's maple syrup production shattered records: 175 million pounds, largely thanks to favourable weather conditions.
Quebec supplied 73 per cent of world maple syrup production last year and the Quebec industry saw a 14 per cent increase in sales and 22 per cent in exports compared to 2019.
Ninety per cent of the 131 million pounds of Canada's maple syrup exports come from Quebec maple syrup regions.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic has hit a large number of sugar shacks in Quebec at the heart of last year's seasonal peak. This year, while the pandemic is still raging, they have the opportunity to market their products differently in collaboration with food chains.
-- this report by The Canadian Press was first published March 10, 2021.
