'Opec of maple syrup' under fire as some Canadian farmers turn to black market

Winnipeg

IT'S boom time for Canadian maple-syrup producer Ray Bonenberg, who is expanding sap output from his tree farm near Pembroke, Ontario. About three hours away in the province of Quebec - the Saudi Arabia of syrup - producers like Jim Dempsey can only watch in frustration.

Mr Dempsey's output is capped by the Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers, a kind of government-sanctioned cartel that accounts for 71 per cent of world supply. The federation has excelled in its mission to bring price stability for the province's 13,500 sap farmers. The trade-off has been a strict limit on how much can be extracted and sold. But Quebec growers are now demanding the shackles be loosened as they watch competitors in Canada and the northern US boost supplies to meet rising demand.