QUEBEC’S STRATEGIC maple-syrup reserve is probably sweeter in the imagination than in reality, with its whitewashed barrels stacked from floor to ceiling in industrial halls.(魁北克的战略枫糖浆储备，想象中大概比现实中更甜美——工业大厅里，刷成白色的木桶从地板堆到天花板。) Yet the reserve, established in 2000 to stabilise prices and supply, is in a sticky situation(陷入棘手境地): this winter it will run dry(枯竭、见底).
魁北克的战略枫糖浆储备，想象中大概比现实中更甜美——工业大厅里，刷成白色的木桶从地板堆到天花板。然而，这个建于2000年、旨在稳定价格与供应的储备，如今却陷入棘手境地：今年冬天，它将彻底见底。
The last such calamity(灾难、大祸) was in 2008, the result of several bad seasons. Barely had the reserve recovered when a few years later over $18m-worth of syrup was skimmed in a heist.(储备尚未恢复，几年后价值超过1800万美元的枫糖浆又在一次盗窃案中被掠走。) More recently a series of poor harvests in the early 2020s and a sustained upswing(上升、增长) in demand has left its barrels depleted(耗尽的、枯竭的). The reserve will be empty by February.
上一次这样的灾难发生在2008年，是连续几个歉收季节的结果。储备尚未恢复，几年后价值超过1800万美元的枫糖浆又在一次盗窃案中被掠走。更近一些，2020年代初的连年歉收和需求的持续上升，使储备桶日渐空虚。到明年2月，储备将彻底清空。
In a recent interview Luc Goulet of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers (PPAQ), an industry group, laid part of the blame on the uncertainty over American tariffs, which has led some buyers to bring forward purchases of Canadian syrup.(在最近的一次采访中，行业组织“魁北克枫糖浆生产商协会”（PPAQ）的吕克·古莱将部分原因归咎于美国关税的不确定性，这促使一些买家提前采购加拿大枫糖浆。) But rising demand also reflects consumers’ shift away from refined sugars in favour of(转而支持、选择) more natural options. Canada’s producers, which dominate the global supply of maple syrup, now make twice as much as a decade ago.(加拿大的生产商主导着全球枫糖浆供应，如今产量已是十年前的两倍。) Yet even that has not been enough to keep pace(跟上步伐).
在最近的一次采访中，行业组织“魁北克枫糖浆生产商协会”（PPAQ）的吕克·古莱将部分原因归咎于美国关税的不确定性，这促使一些买家提前采购加拿大枫糖浆。但需求上升也反映出消费者从精制糖转向更天然的选择。加拿大的生产商主导着全球枫糖浆供应，如今产量已是十年前的两倍。然而即便如此，仍不足以跟上需求的步伐。
