The maple sugar season is right around the corner and producers are keen on growing the industry in New Brunswick.

After a record-breaking year in 2022, maple syrup producers want to expand and need more Crown land to do so.

New Brunswick Maple Syrup Association executive director Louise Poitras said the industry has been waiting for the provincial government.

“At this point, what we’re requesting from the province is to get new hectares of land so we can almost double our production.”

Poitras said she feels optimistic the province will announce details soon.

“We have growth plans that we identified with our members about three years ago. We’re looking for the province to make an announcement soon. We were told it will probably happen in the first quarter of this year.”

New Brunswick produced a record 810,000 gallons of maple syrup last year, a 3.2 per cent increase over 2021.

Poitras added about 80 percent of maple syrup production occurs in the northern part of the province with about 20 percent across the south which tends to have smaller producers.