Harvest looks to be promising

l FAR NORTH QUEENSLAND

QUEENSLAND’S 2023 sugarcane crush is just weeks away and growers are heading into harvest with a sense of trepidation and optimism after the a spike in prices hitting more than $800 a tonne this month.

Canegrowers chairman Owen Menkens said a jump in the world sugar price, coupled with a drop in fertiliser prices, was setting up 2023 as a bumper year for Queensland’s sugarcane industry.

“Just two years ago the sugar price languished below $400 per tonne, not even covering the cost of production for many growers. It was a pretty grim time,” he said.

“Fast-forward to today and that figure has doubled, with the prompt price hitting highs of $804 per tonne in mid-April.

“The last time we saw the prompt price at $800 was in 1980, more than 40 years ago, so growers are understandably excited.” events. Download the 20-page program from Carnivale’s website or pick up a printed copy from key locations across Port Douglas, Cairns, and the Atherton Tablelands.

For more information and to buy tickets, visit www.carnivale.com.au.

While most growers have already priced their sugar from the 2022 season, and therefore won’t be able to take advantage of the latest high, prices for the coming seasons are equally impressive and continue to rise.

Adding to growers’ excitement is a fall in fertiliser prices, which had skyrocketed in recently due to the war in Ukraine, all but negating any positive impacts of the surging sugar price.