Chair’s Update
As I write this the weather forecast looks fairly ominous. Forecasts are quite conflicting as to how much it will rain but they all agree that it is going to rain. The harvesting season is progressing well with 453,900 tonnes harvested for the season to date with an average CCS of 13.19. This puts the season percentage harvested at 33%. The estimate seems to be holding up, so we are going to need the extra throughput to get this crop off in a reasonable time frame.
Millaquin has been chugging away with a dramatic improvement to average throughput compared to the last few years. Time, technology and money well spent. With the extra throughput comes extra challenges, mainly transport logistics. There have been quite a few challenges whether they are rail track failures, loco breakdowns, difficulty in finding enough truck drivers and of course, crazy road works. All in all, Bundaberg Sugar have really stepped up their game this season which is very pleasing.
It is now more important than ever that all bins are full to maximise transport efficiencies and make sure every bin tipped at the mill counts towards the high throughput. There has also been capacity for harvesting crews to receive extra bins above their allotment, if your harvesting contractor has capacity for extra bins or extra days, please contact the transport office to let them know your availability.
Recently our Auditors have assisted with multiple grower enquiries including NIR low RI readings resulting in the application of the missed sample clause with further explanation provided to the grower. There has been a couple of instances of differing results received for a set of bins and on further inspection, the bins were incorrectly allocated due to a data entry error at the weighbridge. This required manual adjustments to allocate those bins to the correct grower and demonstrates how important it is to check all delivery advices.
The southern region productivity boards and district companies met online with SRA to try and work out some outcomes for the southern region plant breeding program and let’s just say it is still a work in progress with some light at the end of the tunnel.
Oreco have at last finalised their 2024 accounts with the final late payment interest being paid to growers. I hope they appreciate the fact that there is some major competition coming.
There have been some issues with overpayment on the initial advance payments from QSL due to the larger than predicted drop in the sugar price, hopefully things should have sorted themselves out by now. Next year we hope to see some better flexibility in the setting of advance payments with individuals being able to adjust their advance schedule to suit their cashflow needs.
In early July, Tanya and I attended the first Qld CANEGROWERS Policy Council meeting for this term and the consensus from around the State had most mills performing quite a bit better than previous years with cane supply being a common problem. Wet weather and excessive amounts of stand over cane have not helped in some regions.
On 22 July we had the privilege of hosting Tony Perrett MP, Minister for Primary Industries, for a visit aimed at highlighting the significance of the Bundaberg sugar industry. Key issues discussed included Reef Regulations, biosecurity, water, right to farm, bio-fuels and the 25-year road map to grow Queensland’s primary industries to $30bn by 2030. The Minister’s tour included a visit to local cane farms as well as the Bundaberg sugar terminal, facilitated with the assistance of QSL and STL. The continued viability of agriculture in Bundaberg is essential for the regional economy.
Bundaberg CANEGROWERS’ representatives recently met with Avalo, who use advanced breeding technology to develop more resilient, efficient and profitable crop varieties, to hear how they can assist growers in our region.
The soybean season is now complete with a total of 208 tonnes harvested from 87ha. Quality was better than previous years, largely due to improved management of pests and better weather during harvest.
Lets hope the rain stays at bay for a while so we can get this valuable crop off and processed in the shortest possible time.
Mark Pressler
Chairman
To read the August edition click here.