LONGUEUIL, Que.—Quebec’s sugarmakers will be allotted a minimum of 3 million new taps through its quota system by 2023.

The announcement Tuesday of a big tap increase from the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers federation comes on the heels of a short crop and sky high syrup demand around the world.

At the same time, the province's syrup reserve is draining quickly, with zero organic syrup left.

“With a need for supply to keep up with demand, the conclusion is evident, Québec’s maple industry is booming!” said Geneviève Martineau, spokesperson for the Quebec Maple Syrup Producers federation, which governs the production of syrup in the province.

The federation hinted even more taps may be allotted into the province's quota system.

Taps could start going in as early as next December and will likely be given out as part of a lottery system.  The Candadian government is still working out the details on how the taps will be divvied.

The decision comes after an "average" maple syrup harvest in 2021, combined with significant increases in sales and exports of product, the federation said.

Last week, the federation reported its 6,314 sugarmaker members made 133 million pounds of syrup, down from the previous two year’s record crops.

Foreign exports out of Quebec rose 21.9 percent last year over 2019, the federation said. Sales so far this year are holding strong and look promising for the rest of the year.

Producers in the province put out 48.3 million taps this season. Comparatively, U.S. sugarmakers put out slightly more than 14 million taps, according to the USDA.

Meanwhile, Quebec's stockpile of syrup is draining fast.

In just 10 weeks, the Global Strategic Maple Syrup Reserve went from 107 million pounds in March to 80 million at present, the federation said.

The volume of certified organic syrup has dropped to near zero.

Recent actuarial calculations have determined if the Reserve supply falls below 80 million pounds, the time is ripe to consider new production quotas for the exploitation of new territories and more taps, the federation said.

Bulk buyers, most from the U.S. snapped up 147 million pounds from the federation last year, an increase of more than 14 percent.