Long road ahead for local sugar community

2024 Crush

Jules Foxlee

Journalist

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The 2024 crush is nearing its end. Picture: Evelyn Matthews

Nearly a year on from the closure of the Mossman Mill, growers remain in a state of uncertainty about their future. While the outcome of the State Election should now make some things clearer - the vitorious LNP government promising to cover one more crush and incentivise mill investors - growers still face a range of challenges as the 2024 crush comes to an end.

“We are within the last five weeks of this year’s crush and expect to finish the third week in November,” Canegrowers Mossman Manager Evelyn Matthews said.

“As the crush is finishing so late in the year, and with no clear way forward, growers have to decide what to do with the crop left standing. There will be little time to fertilise and no time to plant cane after the state election result is announced, so we would expect a much-reduced crop to be available if the cane were to be transported again next year.”

Ms Matthews said this year’s crush has seen its fair share of challenges which would need to be addressed if another crush is on the cards.

“The two big issues we’ve seen this season, that will require attention if we operate again in 2025, are the lack of workers and the lack of throughput for the harvesting sector. The lack of drivers has also impacted the number of tonnes we have been able to supply to Mulgrave, but we still hope to get to the 180,000 tonnes or slightly better by the end of 2024 crush.”

Ms Matthews held concerns on the eve of the Election that Labor retaining power would have meant little additional assistance for the sector. The finalisation of the Mossman Transition Plan should be out by the end of November but the LNP win in the Election now takes that off the table.

"It is clear that if we don’t get a change of State Government, there will be little in the way of further assistance for the Douglas Shire and agriculture outside of the remaining $5.9m of the original assistance package announced by the Premier earlier this year,'' Ms Matthews said.

The cane growing community is also witness to the sell off of Mossman Mill assets, including the potential sale of locos. Ms Matthews said locos were considered ‘critical equipment’ and their sale would hit the agriculture – cane, or alternative crops – hard.

“The liquidator has been selling various lots of the milling and company assets over the past month and right now the locos are open for Expressions of Interest,” she said.

“If an EOI was accepted that would mean the loss of critical equipment and we would need to move the crop using road transport as we would have no rail system. Likewise, if another value-add operation starts up in the Shire there will be no rail system available to transport any goods or crop.”

Despite the uncertainty, Ms Matthews said the election will bring some relief.

“I would hope that by the end of this month growers will have a clearer picture of what the next year might look like,” she said.

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