Originally published at: To avert disaster, Canada taps strategic maple syrup reserve | Boing Boing
…
3 Likes
I suppose some store owners will find sweet relief that sales of maple syrup will continue to flow.
3 Likes
Are their troops armed with tactical syrup?
9 Likes
Yeah sorry aboot that, eh.
11 Likes
The Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, a leading trade group
Really a cartel like OPEC, which is why a strategic reserve of the commodity is to be expected.
Next up, a repeat of this:
5 Likes
Is the poutine safe? IS THE POUTINE SAFE?!
12 Likes
Is this Canada 
idea of a bad joke?
4 Likes
Mmm - I do love real maple syrup…
Yes, they are.
4 Likes
Yes. I highly recommend the Netflix Documentary about the Heist:
It gives a deep look at the sketchy politics and economics of the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers and how they were set up to control prices of maple syrup in a parallel to the way De Beers controls the price of diamonds.
3 Likes
More detail as to why…
a shortfall driven by a short and warm spring in 2021, NPR reported.
At the same time that production fell, pandemic-fuelled demand for the sticky substance jumped 36% from 2020 to 2021, according to federation figures.
Quebec provides almost three-quarters of the world’s maple syrup, and production is tightly regulated by the federation, which maintains a vast stockpile to cover fluctuations in yearly production. It is the first time in three years the reserve has been called on.
1 Like
Wait, cars in Canada run on maple syrup? I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.
1 Like
Yes. Yes, they are.
2 Likes
5 Likes
5 Likes
Yes. Despite the national security suggestive name and the fun news articles about this, this is the whole point of a cartel maintaining a stockpile: to buy low and sell high. This increases overall profits of the members and also discourages competition. Sustained or extreme high prices might lead to production ramps from outside the cartel and weaken their economic strength. Releasing supply when that is in danger limits the profit someone could make by competing with them. It’s considerably different than a national strategic reserve of oil, steel, or medicine.
Anyway, resume the fun stories about a strategic syrup reserve.
1 Like
I suppose you could probably make ethanol from maple syrup. You can certainly use it as a honey substitute for mead, though I don’t recommend it on financial grounds. Basically, the taste isn’t any better, but the cost is quite a bit greater.
Why is the increase in demand claimed to be pandemic driven?
