Statistical Overview of the Canadian Maple Industry, 2023

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Overview

Canada and the US are the only countries who produce maple syrup at commercial scale. In 2023 the Canadian maple syrup industry accounted for approximately 71% of the total world maple syrup production, with 89.9% of Canadian production originating from Quebec, 5.1% from New Brunswick, 4.8% from Ontario, and less than 1% from Nova Scotia. The United States is the second-largest producer, accounting for approximately 29% of global production, with 48.9% of United States production originating from Vermont, 17.9% from New York, and 11.2% from Maine. Maple products accounted for 3.7% of all Canadian horticulture^{Endnote 1} farm cash receipts^{Endnote 2} in 2023.

Contrary to the general trend in agriculture where a decrease in the number of farms was observed in previous censuses following the long-term trend towards fewer and larger operations, the number of maple product farms increased by 19.2% from 2016 (5,340 farms) to 2021 (6,364 farms). This growth was most notable in Quebec, where in recent years, there has been an increasing trend in the number of producers participating in maple syrup production. This growth in the number of producers is driven by the 2017 addition of 5 million maple 'taps' by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP) who control the quantity of production in that province and maintain a strategic reserve of maple syrup to minimize fluctuations in pricing and availability of supply, which is driven by natural variability in annual production.

Canadian maple producers harvested 10.4 million gallons of maple syrup in 2023, down 40.1% from the record-high production in 2022, and 21.8% lower than the 5-year average. Production fell in all maple-producing provinces, largely due to unfavourable weather such as severe storms and unfavorable temperature fluctuations, leading to lower yields in 2023.

In 2023, the total production of maple syrup in Quebec was 56.2 million kilograms (9.4 million gallons), a 41.3% decrease from 2022.

Canadian maple syrup exports totaled 64.9 million kilograms (10.8 million gallons) in 2023, a decrease of 6.7% from the 69.6 million kilograms exported in 2022. In terms of value, Canadian exports of maple products amounted to $615 million in 2023, down 0.2% from 2022. Canadian maple products were exported to 67 different countries around the world in 2023; 62.1% of the exports were to the United States, 7.3% to Germany, 5.3% to France, 5.2% to the United Kingdom, 4.1% to Australia, and 3.9% to Japan, and with the other export destinations accounting for the remaining 16.0% of total export volumes.

1. Production

1.1 Number of maple farms^{Table 1.1 note 1} by province

1.2. Number of maple taps by province

1.3. Maple syrup production^{Table 1.3 note 1} by province (kilograms)

1.4. Production of maple products – 15-year trend

1.5. Farm cash receipts of maple products by province (thousands of Canadian dollars)

2. Trade

2.1. Trade balance

2.1.1. Maple products^{Table 2.1.1 note 1} exports by province – by value (thousands of Canadian dollars)

2.1.2. Maple products^{Table 2.1.2 note 1} exports by province – by volume (kilograms)

2.1.3. Top maple products export destinations – by value (thousands of Canadian dollars)

2.1.4. Top maple products export destinations – by volume (kilograms)

3. Consumption

3.1. Maple products available^{Table note 1} for consumption^{Table note 2} (kilograms per person)

4. World data

4.1 World imports

4.1.1. Top importers of maple sugar and maple syrup – by value (thousands of Canadian dollars)

4.1.2. Top importers of maple sugar and maple syrup – by volume (metric tons)

4.2 A Comparison: United States national statistics for maple syrup

4.2.1. United States maple syrup production by state (gallons)

4.2.2. United States maple syrup production value by state (thousands of US dollars)

5. Key Resources

• Global Trade Tracker
• Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0166-01 Farms classified by farm type, Census of Agriculture historical data
• Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0161-01 Maple taps, Census of Agriculture historical data
• Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0354-01 Production and value of maple products
• Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0045-01 Farm cash receipts, annual (x 1,000)
• Statistics Canada. Table 32-10-0054-01 Food available in Canada
• Statistics Canada. CATSNET
• USDA. National Agricultural Statistics Service

Import and export data is based on the following Harmonized System Codes (H.S. Codes):

• Maple for import: 1702200010, 1702200020
• Maple for export: 17022010, 17022020, 17022021, 17022029