LONGUEUIL, Quebec, June 4, 2015 /Canada NewsWire Telbec/ - Like the previous two years, 2015 was another outstanding harvest season for Quebec's maple syrup producers, who, with 42.3 million taps in operation, produced 107.2 million pounds of maple syrup, for an average yield of 2.53 pounds per tap.
A season marked by a very late start This spring, unusual weather conditions delayed the beginning of the sugaring season. The southernmost regions, Saint-Jean-Valleyfield and Saint-Hyacinthe, had small flows by mid-March. However, the persistent cold slowed the thaw, which resulted in all of Quebec's first major flows occurring only in mid-April. Three-quarters of production took place during the last three weeks of April. Some more easterly regions harvested until early May.
"Many feared that the long, cold winter would affect production. However, in the maple syrup industry, you should never count your chickens before they're hatched. Predicting production results is practically impossible. Mother Nature always has the final say," said Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers president Serge Beaulieu. "Again this year, the cold spring was good for maple syrup production in general. The Bas-Saint-Laurent/Gaspésie region benefitted the most from the ideal weather and had the best yields—2.96 pounds per tap."
The fourth best harvest and quality syrup The 2015 harvest did not surpass the 2013 record of 120.3 million pounds or last year's tally of 113.7 million pounds. However it does rank as the fourth best harvest on record, just below the 2009 harvest of 109.4 million pounds. Furthermore, nearly 73% of the maple syrup already inspected has been classified in the top three categories, Extra Light, Light and Medium. This excellent harvest represents nearly 217,000 barrels of maple syrup for quality inspectors to classify and inspect.
A record year for salesThe sales agency set a sales record for the second year in a row—a total of 97 million pounds of maple syrup—relegating 2014's high of 92.7 million pounds to second place. The new record is partly explained by the sugaring season's late start like last year. During the regular marketing year set out in the marketing agreement, from February 28 to February 27 of the following year, the Federation sold 88.7 million pounds. Because of the late season, it then agreed with buyers to allow sales of maple syrup produced in 2014 and preceding years until May 12, 2015.
With the extended marketing year, an additional 8.3 million pounds were sold to achieve 97 million pounds overall. These sales also dropped the strategic reserve level to 60.7 million pounds. Since 2010, the agency's sales have increased 10.5% annually from 58.9 to 97 million pounds this year.
About FPAQThe Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers was founded in 1966 with the mission of defending and promoting the economic, social and moral interests of 7,300 maple producers, as well as developing initiatives to collectively market maple products. The quality work of these maple producers has made Quebec the proud source of 71% of the world's maple syrup.
Website: . fpaq.ca
SOURCE Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers
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