After months of maintenance work in the harvesting and milling sectors; the cane harvesters, trucks and sugar mills will burst back into action from this week as the much-anticipated 2023 cane crushing season kicks off.
The first sugar mill to receive cane will be Harwood, which will start processing on June 30.
Clarence growers are expected to cut some 500,000 tonnes of sugarcane which will produce over 50,000 tonnes of raw sugar and 17,000 tonnes of molasses.
The following week, on July 3 is when both Condong and Broadwater mills start their annual crush.
The Tweed crop is estimated to come in at 405,000 tonnes of sugarcane. This will be crushed at the Condong sugar mill and produce 47,500 tonnes of raw sugar, of which 25,000 will be food grade. In addition, just under 14,000 tonnes of molasses will be made.
With the Richmond crop still impacted by the 2022 flood events, the two-year old crop is expected to be slow to harvest due to the need for removal of remaining flood debris. The total crop is forecast to come in at 350,000 tonnes and will be processed at Broadwater sugar mill on a 5-day crushing week. Almost 42,000 tonnes of raw sugar and over 11,000 tonnes of molasses is expected be made at Broadwater this season.
Despite the reduced crop, growers are set to receive $54 per tonne, which is a record cane price. This positive price, along with favourable weather conditions, is expected to drive a major planting effort across the Tweed, Richmond and Clarence Valley regions later in the season.
The sugarcane industry has been a stalwart of agriculture in the northern rivers for over 150 years.
“It is no accident that the sugar industry has survived here for so long,” commented Sunshine Sugar Chief Executive, Mr Chris Connors.
He went on to say; “Sugarcane is such a hardy and reliable crop for this area. Add to that an industry model that is set up to support growers with the best pricing outcomes, farm productivity advice, variety development and a sales and marketing network for finished goods – and you have an industry that is strong and vibrant enough to handle not just the good seasons, but also the not-so-good seasons.”
Sunshine Sugar has reported a spike in interest from landowners looking at the potential of planting sugarcane recently. With each of the growing districts having dedicated Agriculture and Cane Supply teams, there is plenty of support available to anyone considering adding sugarcane to their cropping mix and taking advantage of the record prices on offer and the security and stability of a long-standing industry.
Chairperson of the NSW Sugar Milling Co-operative and cane grower, John Harbison added; “We appreciate that our existing growers are still on a road to recovery, so we are focused on delivering profitable pricing for both sugarcane and finished sugar goods and will provide continued support wherever it’s needed for the long term. So too, we welcome new and returning growers to the fold as we continue to build an industry for the future.”