3 minute read
Lighting the way
BY RENEE CLUFF
An expansion of the Tableland Sugar Mill is enabling growers to put more land under cane.
Sugarcane growers in the Tableland District are praising the decision by MSF Sugar to increase crushing capacity at the local mill.
A $13-million investment has been announced by the Thai-owned milling company to increase capacity by 150,000-tonnes to 1-million-tonnes, or almost 18%.
Works are scheduled for completion ahead of the 2025 harvest season.
CANEGROWERS Tableland Chair Claude Santucci said the upgrades are needed to meet grower demand.
“With new cane lands coming into production on the southern Tablelands as well as existing growers bringing their CPAs (cane production areas) to full capacity due to the buoyant sugar prices in recent years, Tableland Mill has reached capacity,” he explained.
“This has been acknowledged by the growers and MSF Sugar as being of concern and requiring investment in milling capacity to ensure that an increased crop size can be processed efficiently and effectively.
“This investment by MSF Sugar gives growers great confidence for them to continue and for some, to expand their cane growing operations, knowing that there will be reliable crushing capacity to handle the larger crop in a timely manner.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Mitr Phol Board in taking this investment decision, which demonstrates their strong commitment to the Tablelands District.”
It’s the first major investment at the Arriga site since construction of the $100-million Green Energy Power Plant, which was commissioned in 2018.
The works will include upgrades to the milling train, juice and syrup processing and cooling water systems.
Factory Manager Peter Chohan said the expansion was greenlighted in response to increasing requests from growers.
“We field a lot of enquiries from growers about our capacity to handle more cane,” he said. “We’re very happy that this investment will see us able to process some 1,600 hectares of new plantings over the 9,000 hectares currently under cane.”
The mill expansion works will begin in the new year, with completion expected by May.
Mr Santucci said it’s now up to growers to ensure the investment pays off for the local and broader industry.
“This investment is in contrast to what we are seeing in other milling districts throughout Queensland where some milling companies are facing significant challenges in maintaining reliable crushing operations,” he said.
“We now as growers have to demonstrate our commitment and maximise our efforts to grow the best crop we can so as to sustain this investment.
