CANE CRUSH FIRES UP

The 2023 harvest is officially underway with Tableland Mill kicking off this year’s crush on 22 May with Tully Mill expected to follow on 26 May.

The sound of harvesters firing up will undoubtedly fill growers with hope for a better season than last year, when weather delays, a larger than expected crop, and poor mill performance saw crushing extend through Christmas and well into January in some districts.

With sugar prices at record highs and above average yields predicted, growers, harvest crews and mill workers are keen to get cane through the rollers.

"The weather is pretty spectacular at the minute. We have blue skies and cool temperatures, so perfect weather for harvesting,"

CANEGROWERS Tableland Chairman Claude Santucci said.

"We had a bit of a cold snap come through a few days ago, so that will help push up the sugar content a bit, although it will be a while before we start getting decent CCS levels.

"The early cut cane from last year is looking really nice, but anything that was cut after late November is looking pretty poor, and we also have grub damage in a few areas. Overall we're expecting the crop to be down 10% on last year.

"But if we can keep this weather and the mill has a good run, I'm hopeful we can have a pretty good 2023 season."

It’s anticipated that the rest of Queensland’s mills will start firing up from early June, if the weather continues to be favourable.

According to Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC) the starting estimate for the Queensland sugarcane crop is 30.55 million tonnes, up by about 400,000 tonnes on the pre-season 2022 forecast but down by about 700,000 tonnes on what was eventually processed.

ASMC is hoping the return to El Nino conditions will be helpful and limit the weather induced disruptions to harvesting and milling operations, as was the case during the past two years. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is predicting an 80% chance of at least a moderate El Nino and the Bureau of Meteorology’s long-range forecast, issued on 18 May 2023, indicates below median rainfall is likely for much of Australia from June to August with temperatures to remain warmer than the median.

“The start of the crush is always an exciting time of the year and growers are optimistic that 2023 could be a bumper year for the industry,” CANEGROWERS Chairman Owen Menkens said.

“There is a very positive feeling around the industry at the minute, with the industry on the verge of a transition to a range of new and growing opportunities in the bioeconomy that rely upon sugarcane for feedstock.

“The export of raw sugar will always be the foundation of our industry, but we know there are many other complimentary opportunities that are emerging for the industry and we hope that this coming season, combined with a strong price, will provide the basis for new and increased investment into these exciting projects. I wish all growers, harvesting workers and mill staff a timely, dry and safe crush.” 