Sap is running, but COVID-19 is cutting off the supply of customers for syrup producers

RIVERVIEW, N.B. -- The sap is running in the Maritimes, but there might not be anywhere for it to go.

Favourable weather in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick has resulted in an abundance of maple syrup.

Producers rely on grocery stores and farmer's markets to sell their product, but some of those outlets have closed because of COVID-19.

But David Briggs, the president of Briggs Maples in Riverview, N.B., says the big blow to the industry might come from the traditionally lucrative tourism season.

"If we continue to stay isolated, and if it doesn’t end soon, are we going to have a tourist season to sell to?" Briggs said.  "We rely heavily on the cruise ship industry in Saint John, so it’s real concerning at this point."

Briggs says if the COVID-19 crisis ends soon, the season could be saved. He says up to 60 per cent of his sales goes to tourists.

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