CEO Comment

CEO COMMENT

By Dan Galligan, CEO CANEGROWERS

PLANS MADE BY GROWERS FOR GROWERS

We can all suffer from the anxiety caused by uncertainty in our lives. If the last two years have shown us anything, it’s that there are many things out of our control.

The pandemic has thrown both business and personal plans into chaos and taught us a lesson in taking one day at a time.

At the same time, in an effort to mitigate the risks, governments have gone to extraordinary lengths to impose laws and restrictions designed to protect us.

Through the chaos and uncertainty, the role of agriculture to provide a sense of stability by keeping food on the table and keeping people in jobs, cannot be underestimated.

This really is remarkable when you consider the typical volatility that agricultural supply chains must endure. Commodity prices, weather, supply chain shortages, and a lack of farm labour to name but a few.

The beginning of the calendar year is as good a time as any to reflect on the lessons of the past two years, make some predictions, and plan for the year ahead.

At CANEGROWERS, January is the perfect time for this exercise as we gear up with fresh energy and renewed enthusiasm. We know enough now to lock in the uncertainty the pandemic will deliver, but we can do so now with confidence that together we can support each other through it.

We have big plans for 2022 and being flexible in the way that we execute these plans will be crucial.

A federal election is just months away and through the last couple of months of 2021, work was well progressed with out national peak body, the National Farmers Federation, to formulate a solid election strategy.

With elections on the mind, we turn to the important CANEGROWERS election. As reported in this magazine, this is a significant opportunity for growers to stand for district leadership positions.

The districts drive and inform the priorities of CANEGROWERS and they provide the front door access for all members of the organisation. As an organisation, behind the scenes we are ready to not only support the election process, but also provide training, support and expert back-up to both new and existing directors.

Beyond the board room we have big plans for supporting all growers in their businesses. CANEGROWERS is working through a range of strategic initiatives designed to maximise the profitability of growers.

We are working through our traditional policy efforts to increase revenue opportunities by ensuring that growers are not only well placed to share in any opportunity of future industry diversification but can also take advantage of existing opportunities in what remains a high sugar price environment.

Our policy efforts will continue towards driving down the cost of inputs and also working directly with growers to help refine their understanding of their business costs and ability to take profits when the opportunity arises.

Behind this will be constant and deep consultation with growers. The target is to invest in the right topics and the right tools that deliver practical and tangible solutions for your business.

To be a part of this process is a rewarding and exciting opportunity that I hope many growers see themselves taking a hold of over the coming year.