OTTAWA — As the American trade war threatens to sap billions from North America’s economy, New York’s maple syrup producers warn Trump’s punishing tariffs may force Americans to pour corn syrup on their pancakes instead.
Adam Wild, director of Cornell University’s Uihlein Maple Research Forest, said that despite this season’s “old-fashioned” cold and snowy winter promising one of the best maple syrup harvests in decades, vital equipment used to produce the sticky sweet condiment is built and imported from Canada.
“A large amount of maple equipment is produced within Quebec,” Wild said.
“Tariffs placed on this equipment would significantly increase the costs of maple syrup production by producers.”
Prices for such equipment have already seen dramatic increases over the past five years, he said — with producers absorbing the cost.
“Because of this, the ability to be profitable within the maple industry has been increasingly challenging,” Wild said.
“Maple syrup is a gourmet product and if the price to consumers increases too much, we will most likely see price elasticity, with consumers walking away from it to seek out cheaper alternative products that are potentially less healthy.”
He said with tariffs promising to make Canadian maple syrup unattainably expensive, domestic American production doesn’t come close to meeting annual demand.
“A consistent supply of syrup out of Canada helps to supplement maple syrup to consumers across the country,” Wild noted.
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