Statistics Canada blamed severe storms and big temperature swings in eastern parts of the country for the lower yields.
Top producing province Quebec experienced late spring ice storms that cut its production to 9.4 million gallons -- its lowest level since 2018. Total national production was 10.4 million gallons.
"We're at the mercy of the weather and climate change is bringing more and more uncertainty," Joel Vaudeville, spokesman for the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (QMSP), told AFP.
Ideal temperatures for the sap to flow from maple trees is between 5 Celsius and -5 Celsius, he said.
In neighbouring Ontario, warmer seasonal temperatures in the south extended the sugaring season, but the slight production uptick was more than offset by lower yields in the north where cold weather delayed the harvest.
As a result, Canadian exports of maple syrup fell 8.7 percent in the first nine months of 2023 compared to the same period last year, according to the national statistical agency.
This comes after several years of strong sales.
The Quebec Maple Syrup Producers -- an organization that represents more than 11,000 producers and is sometimes called the OPEC of maple syrup -- tapped its strategic reserves in 2021 after a relatively poor harvest in order to meet growing demand.
In May, it announced the addition of seven million taps, bringing the total number in the province to 58 million once they are all installed by 2026.
Vaudeville said the QMSP hopes this will be sufficient to compensate for occasional poor crops and ease pressure on its reserves.
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