Media Releases
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Media Releases
8 February 2010: THROW YOUR HAT IN THE RING & NOMINATE, CANE GROWERS URGED The strength of the Australian cane industry is built on strong regional representation, and cane growers are being encouraged to throw their hat in the ring to be part of the body tasked with driving the future of the sugarcane industry in Australia. More >
28 January 2010: RAVENSDOWN EXPANDS INTO SOIL TESTING & A LOCAL TEAM Just a year after fertiliser giant Ravensdown put its toe in the fertiliser market on the eastern seaboard, it has already set about its expansion program – launching a new soil test service very much at the behest of local growers. In addition they have consolidated their position in the Queensland and New South Wales market by adding to their local team, based out of Brisbane. More
21 January 2010: SUGAR PRICE INCREASES SWEET FOR EVERYONE
Suggestions that consumers will ‘feel the pain at the supermarket’ as a result of increases in sugar prices are just plain silly according to CANEGROWERS CEO Ian Ballantyne. He says that recent alarmist reports need to be tempered with a touch of reality. Publicity given to increases in the retail price of sugar is misleading and there should be very little impact on Australian shoppers’ hip pocket. More
13 January 2010: GROWERS WATCHING BRIEF ON ASIAN INTEREST IN CSR Interest in CSR by one of the largest food companies in the world, Chinese-owned Bright Foods, has stormed media and financial commentary over the past 24 hours, and cane growers are keeping a watching brief on developments which would potentially impact the business of cane growing industry. MORE
21 December 2009: SUGAR SHAKER – INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 2009/10 – A BRIGHT LIGHT 2009 has set the scene for 2010 to be a most positive year for the Australian sugar industry. MORE
12 December 2009: 18 DECEMBER DEADLINE ON RAVENSDOWN ORDERS
Transparency and ownership were fundamental to CANEGROWERS’ participation in the establishment of Ravensdown Fertiliser Australia, a company established to supply competitively priced fertiliser products to Queensland and northern New South Wales. MORE
10 December 2009: SMUT IMPACT SHOULD NOT BE UNDERSTATED
Peak sugarcane group, CANEGROWERS, says the ongoing cost and extent of the major disease, sugarcane smut, should not be underestimated nor its ongoing impact on profitability understated. The infestation across industry is likely to peak in 2010 and remain a major issue in 2011. MORE
4 December 2009: GROWERS GET FIRST LOOK AT REEF LEGISLATION REQUIREMENTS CANEGROWERS has informed the sugarcane industry that the long-awaited information for growers affected by the controversial reef legislation to be introduced by the State Government in 2010, has finally started to drop. MORE
16 November 2009: CANE SAYS AG OUT, BUT STILL PAYING PRICE OF CPRS
Exclusion from a future CPRS doesn’t mean there will be no impact on farmers, says peak sugarcane group CANEGROWERS today, following the announcement that agriculture will not be included in the Government’s latest revision of its Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. MORE
12 November 2009: REEF SCIENCE NOT RHETORIC SAY CANE GROWERS
Over 100 people walked away from a reef meeting in Townsville this week amazed by the under-publicised uptake of good farm practice on farms around Queensland. The workshop was aimed at scientists, researchers and government commentators involved in the reef debate, rather than farmers who are at the mercy of decisions made by these people. MORE
9 November 2009: RAVENSDOWN SECOND OFFER JUST WEEKS AWAY
Ravensdown Fertiliser Australia has confirmed that a further offer of fertiliser would be made to Queensland and Northern NSW farmers in the immediate future. This would be the second traunche of deliveries for the grower owned company in its first year of operation and foreshadows a rapid move towards its goal of year round supply. MORE
4 November: TWO LANDMARK CANE WORKSHOPS IN TOWNSVILLE NEXT WEEK
Registrations are just days away from closing for two events to be held 9-10 November in Townsville. The Next Gen Regional Farmers Workshop which will be run concurrently with the Herbicides on the Reef Workshop have a separate focuses, but will come together to look at reef science and best management practice issues including a half day farm tour. MORE
20 October 2009: USE IT OR LOSE IT: STL VOTING CLOSES SOON
CANEGROWERS has urged sugarcane growers to exercise control of their future and to vote in the forthcoming Sugar Terminal Limited (STL) elections, or the decision may be made by non-grower interests - the peak group for sugarcane growers warns. MORE
9 October: Cane growers applauded one day, condemned the next
Queensland cane growers have this week been applauded for their good farming practices aimed to improve reef water quality by the Federal Government and condemned by the State Government which has introduced heavy handed and inappropriate regulations to police farming practices and appease the conservation movement. MORE
16 September: Leaner, Tougher but Definitely Sweeter
A world sugar deficit and higher Brazilian production costs have been driving sugar prices higher, which is paying dividends to a leaner, commercially focused sugarcane industry. MORE
3 September 2009: CANEGROWERS Backs a Healthy Reef
CANEGROWERS is assessing two documents dealing with the long term health of the Great Barrier Reef which were jointly released yesterday by the State and Federal Governments. The peak group for the sugarcane industry says one appears based on science, the other on politics. MORE
21 August 2009: Fertiliser Senate report links competition to lower prices
CANEGROWERS has backed the findings of the Senate Committee report into fertiliser prices that found the impact of new entrants into the Australian market such as Ravensdown led to a decline in retail prices this year. MORE
11 August 2009: Sugar Nears 30 Year High
There is a buzz in the air of Australian sugarcane townships across regional Queensland and New South Wales this week, with news that raw sugar prices are set to pass the $600 a tonne mark. The New York sugar market surged through 23 US cents/lb overnight, reaching close to a 30 year high. MORE
6 August 2009: Sugar prospects strengthen local communities
The resurgence in the Queensland sugar industry is continuing. Spring planting is shaping up to be one of the biggest in a long time and cane growers are finally looking forward to a reasonable period of profitability with analysts predicting the world sugar deficit will continue into next year. MORE
24 July 2009: Farmers See Criticism & Obstruction, Not Partnership
CANEGROWERS has rejected claims of a ‘partnership’ with activist group WWF, saying that farmers are practical, pragmatic people who aim to base their activities on fact and sound science, rather than the continued emotional and ideological rhetoric spewing forth from the activist group. MORE
2 July 2009: Queensland Govt jeopardises Federal reef approach
CANEGROWERS has welcomed confirmation of the Federal Government's funding for the next phase of Reef Rescue but warned the good work was being jeopardised by the Queensland Government's complicated legislative approach. MORE
16 June 2009: Black hole budget for agriculture
Disappointed rather than surprised is the feedback from farmers and rural and regional Queensland, as the State delivered its bleak black hole Budget today. MORE
4 June 2009: Government sells off farm and sells out farmers
Farmers are outraged they have been made a target in legislation tabled by the State Government today which in name only sets out to protect the reef, but according to peak sugarcane group, CANEGROWERS, does not deliver any such outcome. MORE
27 May 2009: Ravensdown-CANEGROWERS Chairmen speak out on fertiliser deal
The Chairman of CANEGROWERS, Alf Cristaudo, has applauded the groundswell of interest in Ravensdown’s entry to the eastern seaboard, which only seems to have increased since Ravensdown confirmed that it would supply Queensland and New South Wales growers with fertiliser this year. MORE
24 May 2009: Ravensdown to proceed: fertiliser competition greenlit
Cane growers resoundingly welcomed news that New Zealand based fertiliser co-operative, Ravensdown, had confirmed that it would proceed with the highly anticipated fertiliser importation program on the eastern seaboard. MORE
22 May 2009: COP THIS YOU LOT!
The State Government is effectively telling the State’s agricultural industries to COP THIS! The lack of communication from the State Government on its intentions to further regulate Queensland farming has CANEGROWERS up in arms. MORE
20 May 2009: Fertiliser suppliers, on back of huge profits in 2008, now cry unfair
Fertiliser companies, who in 2008 extracted millions in super-profits for growers, are now purporting to have the best interests of growers at heart. MORE
19 May 2009: Tantalisingly Close: Fertiliser Extension Tabled
The bold exercise by CANEGROWERS and New Zealand fertiliser farmer co-operative Ravensdown to bring transparency, competition and grower determination to Queensland’s agricultural fertiliser market is within grasp. MORE
6 May 2009: Payment Options Boost Fertiliser Scheme
Fears that cash flow pressures would limit growers’ capacity to participate in the CANEGROWERS –Ravensdown fertiliser program have been largely overcome following an agreement by Suncorp to provide finance support which will allow growers to pay through a system of future cane payments in 2009. MORE
17 April 2009: Local Fertiliser Workshops Announced
CANEGROWERS is urging growers to attend meetings on fertiliser which are being held in every cane growing region during the week commencing the 27th of April. MORE
31 March 2009: New fertiliser player assessing the market
A major deal aimed at changing the face of fertiliser supply on Australia’s eastern seaboard is in the pipeline. MORE
23 March 2009: Let’s roll up our sleeves post election: agriculture
Peak sugarcane grower group, CANEGROWERS has congratulated the Bligh Government on its re-election. MORE
17 March 2009: Bligh Reef Election Platform Shallow: Cane
Agriculture has long been the backbone of Queensland’s regional and rural communities, but now the backs of farmers are being used for a very different purpose – to shoulder a political agenda in an uncertain election, says CANEGROWERS. The grower’s organisation is unimpressed by the politicisation of farming and water quality in the upcoming State election. MORE
12 March 2009: Securing sugar’s future
At a time when Australian agriculture is fighting the impacts of the ‘GFCs’ (the Global Financial Crisis and Global Food Crisis) and preparing for the impacts of climate change and the impending imposition of the Climate Pollution Reduction Scheme (CPRS), the sugar industry will receive a boost to its defences when the Sugar Industry Biosecurity Plan is officially released today. The Plan provides a blueprint for protecting the industry from exotic pests and diseases such as ramu stunt, stem borer and leaf scorch. MORE
10 March 2009: If regulation is in, commonsense is out
The Bligh Government’s approach to increasing the already comprehensive regulation on cane growing in Queensland demonstrates that it has little comprehension of what motivates farmers, says peak sugarcane group CANEGROWERS. MORE
24 February 2009: Election battle lines drawn
The sugarcane industry has called for the principal parties in the forthcoming election to be clear that the State extends beyond the boundaries of Brisbane, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts. MORE
9 February 2009: Growers want sunlight to minimise flood damage
Queensland's cane growers are desperately seeking sunshine to enable floodwaters to recede and for their remaining crop to recover and grow after a fortnight of wet conditions. MORE
30 January 2009: Sugarcane a brighter part of the QLD economy
Queensland is used to seeing headlines about jobs being lost, but one sector experiencing a return to profitability and confidence is the sugar industry. MORE
29 January 2009: Remove the politics - show us the science
The cane industry has made huge advances in implementing good management practices which have a positive spin off for the environment, including the iconic Great Barrier Reef, says CANEGROWERS. The peak group for sugarcane growers has been bewildered at Premier Bligh’s renewed threats of the introduction of new laws that will restrict farming practices in Queensland. MORE
19 January 2009: NFF Release: Federal Budget ’09 must offer more than a short-term fix With the Australian Government’s Federal Budget focus on injecting economic stimulus – and Australian agriculture vital in keeping the national accounts from falling into the red – the National Farmers’ Federation (NFF) is urging the Government to invest in long-term development and growth to sustain Australians through the global financial crisis. MORE
8 January 2009: What Does 2009 Hold for the Sugarcane Industry? The current international financial crisis has placed the sugar industry on the same rollercoaster as other commodities and markets, however the fundamentals of supply and demand continue to point to an international production deficit over the next two years, which in turn points to a more cautiously positive outlook for the industry in 2009. MORE
6 January 2009: Politics Cloud Reef Science
Farming cannot be blamed for recent declines in Great Barrier Reef coral health, according to a new report. MORE
And from 2008
18 December 2008: SUGAR SHAKER – INDUSTRY OVERVIEW 2008
The final sugarcane crop numbers are in for the 2008 season. Sugarcane production was a smaller than expected Australian crop of 32 million tonnes (4.5 million tonnes of raw sugar) and final sugar pool prices are likely to return in the order of $325 per tonne raw sugar. The 2007 crop produced around 35 million tonnes of cane which translated into around 5 million tonnes of raw sugar. MORE
15 December 2008: FED COMMITMENT TO WORK WITH AGRICULTURE WELCOMED
The cane growing industry has welcomed the commitment of the Federal Government to work with the sector between now and 2013 to determine agriculture’s position in the Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme. MORE
12 December 2008: Aussie Reef Management World Class: New Report
The Great Barrier Reef is one of the best managed and healthiest coral reefs in the world, according to a recent report by the Global Coral Reef Monitoring Network. The report entitled ‘Status of Coral Reefs of the World 2008’ found that although 19 percent of the world's coral reefs have been lost in the past few decades, Australian reefs have continued to be relatively stable since 2004. MORE
4 December 2008: QLD SUGAR SEASON DRAGGING ITS HEELS
For the second successive year the Queensland sugarcane harvest will extend into the Christmas period, even though the season produced a smaller than expected crop of just 30 million tonnes of sugarcane. CSR’s Burdekin and Ingham mills will continue to operate at least a month beyond the optimum processing timeframe. Production in Ingham is hoped to be finalised within the week. MORE
17 November 2008: New tools for cane growers to price cane - Burdekin
Cane growers in the Burdekin can spread their risk and underpin their returns from this season via “The Burdekin Collective Pool”, an innovative structure offered by CANEGROWERS Burdekin and jointly managed by local firms Kingsman Australia and FarMarCo. MORE
13 November 2008: CANEGROWERS Board slams vote chasing Premier
The CANEGROWERS Board has questioned the motives and expressed objection to statements from Premier Anna Bligh about farming practices in Great Barrier Reef catchments. Meeting this week in Brisbane, the Board accused her of trying to enhance her green political credentials to urban voters ahead of what appears to be an election early next year. MORE
12 November 2008: Growers say Incitec record profits shocking
CANEGROWERS is not surprised by the record profit declared by Incitec Pivot today. The peak sugarcane growers group says that Incitec had taken every opportunity to maximise revenues by taking advantage of hikes in prices on the world market – moving with lightning speed on increasing prices when world prices were on the way up, but not so when those prices were on the way down. MORE
10 November 2008: SUGAR PRICE RISK TOOLS LAUNCHED FOR INGHAM
Growers are being given greater options to manage price risk in the Herbert River area with the release of the CANEGROWERS Collective Call Pool for the 2009 season. MORE
24 October 2008: State Govt out of step on reef
Today’s reef summit bought to the fore a State Government which was out of step with the Federal Government, industry, research agencies and stakeholder groups involved in managing the health of the iconic Great Barrier Reef. MORE
21 October 2008: Reef rescue program - a green political pawn
Cane growers are concerned that the course being signalled by the State Government in an effort to demonstrate its green credentials may be the political pawn that sours a major partnership, which has the potential to deliver real benefit to farmers and the environment. MORE
17 October 2008: Smut: access all areas
Sugarcane smut has now been confirmed in all regions in Queensland. While it has not been found on plants in NSW, it is only a matter of time, with smut spores identified in northern New South Wales earlier in the year. MORE
16 October 2008: Market turbulence flows through to sugar
The violent oscillations being experienced in international share and commodity markets and a rollercoaster international sugar price are hitting Australian cane growers from all angles says peak sugarcane grower group CANEGROWERS. MORE
18 September 2008: Momentum builds on good cane growing practices
CANEGROWERS, the peak body for the nation’s sugarcane producers, yesterday released its 2008 Public Environment Report (PER) for the sugarcane industry, the third in a series which seeks to draw together and objectively report on the myriad of initiatives occurring on sugarcane farms along the east coast. MORE
17 September 2008: SUGARCANE REPORT CARD GETS GREEN TICK
Climate change, water quality, water efficiency, natural resource conservation, improved productivity and reducing inputs have all been part of the cane growers’ curriculum to produce smarter, profitable and sustainable farming operations in recent years. MORE
5 September 2008: ABARE report confirms tough past season
Peak sugarcane group CANEGROWERS says the ABARE report into the financial performance of the sector confirmed that last season was tough for cane growers - but the outlook was now more optimistic. MORE
25 August 2008: Raw sugar outlook improves after slow start to season
The outlook for raw sugar is on the up after a slow start to the season, reports peak sugarcane grower group CANEGROWERS. MORE
1 August 2008: Collapse of WTO talks a warning for ETS
The collapse of world trade negotiations is a clear indication that Governments are not prepared to put their own producers at any perceived disadvantage for the good of the greater, according to CANEGROWERS. MORE
31 July 2008: Another mill to bite the dust: Mackay in 2009
Announced restructuring of the Mackay Sugar Cooperative and the closure of one its four sugar mills from 2009 is part of the continuing rationalisation of the sugar industry, says peak sugarcane group CANEGROWERS. MORE
16 July 2008: Cane growers impacted despite ag's exclusion
Cane growers would still feel the impact despite agriculture being initially excluded from a Carbon Pollution Reduction Scheme announced in the Federal Government’s Green Paper released today. MORE
7 July 2008: Growers must wait for ETS Green Paper
Cane growers have been advised to keep a cool head amidst the discussions of the disturbing effects of climate change and wait for the other foot to drop when the Federal Government’s Green Paper is released next week.MORE
25 June 2008: Sugar export desk gets up
The sugar industry is breathing a collective sigh of relief today, as peak group CANEGROWERS confirmed that the invaluable sugar ‘export desk’ is here to stay. MORE
18 June 2008: Sugar season starts in Queensland
The 2008 Australian sugarcane harvest is underway, with the sounds of the cane harvesters’ firing up around north Queensland. MORE
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