Fear not, pancake lovers. The maple syrup OPEC plans to tap into its stocks of sticky products to cover a shortfall in the breakfast staple.

The organization, Les Producteurs acéricoles du Québec, said it was draining nearly 50 million pounds of syrup from the barrels of its strategic reserve, about half of its inventory and the most since 2008.

The quantity released is equivalent to more than a third of this year’s harvest in the French-speaking Canadian province, the world’s largest supplier. Production has plunged 24% this year after a warmer and shorter spring harvest as foreign demand soared, according to the group.

“We need to produce more maple syrup,” said spokesperson Hélène Normandin. “The reserve is there to make sure that we are still able to sell and offer this product.”

Quebec represents more than 70% of the world production of maple syrup and its supply is governed by a sort of cartel sanctioned by the government.

Quebec maple syrup producers set wholesale prices, cap production, and send unsold production to a warehouse in Laurierville, Quebec, allowing the agency a level of market control rivaling the grip of the OPEC in the oil markets.

“The pandemic has helped in our case because we are seeing people cooking more at home and using more local produce,” Normandin said.

Export sales reached 113.5 million pounds between January and September, a jump of 21% from the previous year. Next year, the group plans to allow Quebec producers to add 7 million syrup taps to meet growing demand.

The production lead time for maple syrup is short and the “sugar season” usually occurs between the end of February and the end of April, because the sap from the trees can only flow when the daytime temperatures alternate. between freezing and thawing. High temperatures across Quebec have cut the harvest season short this year.

The production problems arise even after the agency decided to increase the number of tree taps to suppress black market sales and maintain market share.

The reserve has not been exploited for three years thanks to exceptional harvests.