tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26981669.post1082947836145401293..comments2024-03-23T10:55:30.196-05:00Comments on Cold Fusion Guy: Canada: OPEC of Maple SyrupJim Peethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07649414726939918803noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-26981669.post-1095996323784518122012-12-26T07:30:43.701-06:002012-12-26T07:30:43.701-06:00Time magazine: Why Does Canada Have a Maple Syrup ...Time magazine: <a href="http://business.time.com/2012/12/24/why-does-canada-have-a-maple-syrup-cartel/" rel="nofollow">Why Does Canada Have a Maple Syrup Cartel?</a><br /><br />It may seem bizarre that Canada has a maple syrup cartel at all. But think of it this way: Quebec, which produces about 77% of the world’s maple syrup, is the Saudi Arabia of the sweet, sticky stuff, and the FPAQ is its OPEC. The stated goal of the cartel, in this case, is keeping prices relatively stable.<br /><br />The problem with maple syrup is that the natural supply of it varies dramatically from year to year. “It’s highly dependent on the weather,” explains Pascal Theriault, an agricultural economist at the McGill University in Montreal.<br /><br />...<br /><br />So since 1989, the FPAQ has modulated supply to keep prices stable, setting aside maple syrup in good years and releasing it in bad ones. Theriault says relatively little maple syrup was produced from 2005 through 2008. But from 2009 through 2012, the syrup flowed fast and sweet, filling warehouse with reserves and setting the stage for the maple syrup heist.<br /><br />Jim Peethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07649414726939918803noreply@blogger.com