Halfway there

Growers keep an eye on the horizon

Queensland's 2021 cane harvest tipped over the halfway mark in September, with more than 16 million tonnes of a projected 29.3 million tonnes of cane cut and then crushed at the state's 19 sugar mills.

While some districts enjoyed a perfect start to the season, others have lagged, hampered by wet weather, logistical problems and poor mill performance.

The result is that the 2021 harvest is almost one million tonnes behind where it was at the same point last year. Despite this, growers remain optimistic, buoyed by the highest sugar prices since 2017.

Growers are also keeping a weather eye on the horizon, with meteorologists predicting a wetter than average spring across Australia’s eastern seaboard.

The Bureau of Meteorology has put the chances of above average rainfall for most cane-growing regions during the October-December period at 65-85%.

Bureau climatologist Dr Andrew Watkins said the main reason behind the prediction for a wetter than average spring was a climate driver called the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD).

"We've currently got a negative IOD - a phenomenon which typically brings an increased chance of rainfall to southern and eastern Australia," he said. "This negative IOD is expected to persist throughout spring but is currently weaker than the last negative IOD event we saw in 2016, which brought Australia's wettest May-October period on record."

With almost 50% of this year's cane crop still in the paddock, the race is now on to get as much cane crushed as possible before rain arrives.

"The prospect of an early start to the wet season and above average rainfall, coupled with concerns over mill reliability in some districts, is understandably causing unease for some Queensland growers," CANEGROWERS Head of Economics Warren Males said.

"While growers can't control the weather or manage mill performance, they can sleep easy, knowing that any price risk issues that might arise can be managed in consultation with their GEI sugar marketer."

Growers remain hopeful of getting all of their cane crushed. However, if cane is left unharvested, Mr Males said there are more options than ever before when it comes to pricing standover cane.

"Thanks to the new pricing structures arising from the Grower Choice in marketing arrangements that CANEGROWERS secured, growers have a lot more flexibility to manage pricing for any cane they are unable to harvest as a result of forecast wet weather."

Pictured: Cane awaiting transfer to the mill in Herbert River.