After record year, unreliable weather pushes Canada's maple syrup production to five-year low

OTTAWA -

New figures from Statistics Canada show maple syrup production hit a five-year low in Canada this year, a trend the agency blames on severe storms and changing temperatures.

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The numbers show Canadian maple producers harvested 47.4 million litres of syrup in 2023, down 40.1 per cent from 79.1 million litres the year before.

Production in 2022 was the highest recorded since the agency began tracking maple syrup statistics in 1924.

Production from Quebec, the country's top supplier, was down by 41 per cent to 42.7 million litres, mostly due to an ice storm in late spring that resulted in lower yields.

New Brunswick's maple production dropped by 35 per cent and Ontario by 15 per cent, yielding a combined 4.7 million litres between them

Statistics Canada says the drops were partly driven by cold temperatures in Ontario and bad weather in New Brunswick.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2023.