CANEGROWERS MEDIA RELEASE

13 April 2011

 

Bitter fight ahead: cane growers angry as mill attempts to underpay them $3 million

Cane growers are up in arms with news that Bundaberg Sugar Limited, owned by Belgian-company Finasucre, plans to underpay them to the tune of $3 million, following the disastrous 2010 season. This comes at a time when cane growers and their local communities can ill-afford the unfair decrease in income.

 

Cane growers in the Cairns Region, Tablelands and Innisfail areas supplying Bundaberg Sugar, are now banding together to bring pressure to bear, after learning that the local mill intends to withhold payments to cane suppliers.  Peak growers group, CANEGROWERS, says that this is taking away income to which cane growers are fully entitled.

 

According to Babinda grower, Charlie Zappala, the move by Bundaberg Sugar to withhold cane payments is not only going to hurt growers but also the local communities which have built up around cane and rely heavily on growers for their business.

 

“The intention to underpay growers is madness at best – and to top it off – they are trying to do this when growers are doing it tough.  In the last six months they have seen off the worst harvesting season on record, the devastation of Cyclone Yasi, the traumatic closure of Babinda Mill and a wet season that looks like it will never end,” says an angry Charlie Zappala, speaking on behalf of CANEGROWERS.

 

“This high handed jiggery pokery will pull even more income out of struggling communities and will inevitably impact on jobs and the region’s ability to recover.”

 

“Other Queensland mills faced with a similar situation have come to the party and agreed on payment of an appropriate amount, but that is not the case here,” says Zappala.

 

“We feel like we’ve been hung out to dry.  Fair go.”

 

 

 

Media Comment:

Charlie Zappala Deputy Chairman CANEGROWERS Cairns Region 0428 509 279

Maryann Salvetti Deputy Chairman CANEGROWERS Tablelands 0409 637 044

Joe Marano Chairman CANEGROWERS Innisfail 0407 160 882

 

 

For more information:  Suzi Moore, CANEGROWERS Communications 0427 641 239