Building the future of cane
The future of the sugarcane industry won’t happen by accident – it has to be planned.
Project Headland is CANEGROWERS’ long-term strategic planning initiative designed to ensure cane farming remains strong, competitive and profitable for decades to come.
Working with district organisations and growers across Queensland, the project looks beyond the immediate challenges of each season and focuses on the bigger picture – where the industry is heading, what risks lie ahead, and where the next opportunities for growth will come from.
Because protecting the future of cane farming means thinking not just about next year’s crop, but about the next generation of growers.
What is Project Headland?
Global markets are shifting. Costs of production are rising. Competition for land, investment and labour is increasing.
At the same time, new opportunities are emerging – from improvements in productivity and innovation on farm, to the growing global demand for renewable fuels, bioplastics and other products made from sugarcane.
Project Headland is about understanding these trends and making sure growers are positioned to benefit from them.
The work focuses on the long-term future of the industry – the next 10–20 years and beyond – and what needs to happen today to keep cane growing strong.
Every cane-growing region has its own strengths, challenges and opportunities.
Project Headland works closely with CANEGROWERS district organisations to examine the circumstances facing each mill area – including production trends, milling performance, land use pressures, grower demographics and the competitiveness of cane against other land uses.
Through this process, growers and district leaders help identify:
- the key challenges facing their local industry
- opportunities to strengthen cane production
- long-term goals for their region
- practical actions that can support the future of cane farming
By combining local knowledge with industry data, the project helps ensure decisions about the future of the industry are grounded in the realities growers face on the ground.
While Project Headland focuses on individual districts, the insights gained are helping shape CANEGROWERS’ work across the entire industry.
The project helps inform:
- advocacy and policy priorities
- industry investment discussions
- strategies to improve productivity and resilience
- opportunities to expand the value of sugarcane beyond raw sugar
Sugarcane is one of the most versatile crops in the world, and global demand for renewable materials and fuels is expected to grow strongly in the decades ahead.
Ensuring Australia’s cane industry is positioned to capture those opportunities is a key part of the work.
At its core, Project Headland reflects the strength of the CANEGROWERS network – growers working together to secure the future of their industry.
The insights and priorities identified through the project will help guide CANEGROWERS’ advocacy, strategic planning and industry engagement in the years ahead.
Most importantly, it ensures that when decisions about the future of the sugarcane industry are made, they are informed by the knowledge, experience and ambitions of growers themselves.
Want to know more? Contact the CANEGROWERS policy team on policy_unit@canegrowers.com.au or 07 3864 6444