Last ditch meeting seeks ways to save Mossman sugar harvest

The future of the Mossman sugar mill and $15m worth of crop is still uncertain despite an 11th hour town hall meeting to find a solution.

Katter Party candidate for Cook Duane Amos. Picture: Brian Cassey

The future of the Mossman sugar mill and $15m worth of crop is still uncertain despite an 11th hour town hall meeting to find a solution.

Arranged by Katter Australia Party representatives Bob Katter, Shane Knuth and Duane Amos, a meeting on Friday discussed the urgent need to start processing this year’s cane harvest, worth an estimated $15m.

Growers say there’s just two weeks left before the harvest starts to rot.

“There’s an overwhelming level of frustration,” KAP candidate for Cook Mr Amos said.

“This has been their life, a lot of those long-term farmers.

“So we’re talking about 100 years of industry that’s now facing a crisis.”

Katter Party candidate for Cook Duane Amos. Picture: Brian Cassey

The Mossman Mill went into liquidation in March after an investor pulled out at the last-minute.

About 50 attendees of the meeting, at Mossman Shire Hall on June 7, passed a motion to petition the state government to subsidise cane transport costs and reopen the Mossman mill in time to process the second half of the harvest.

With only three operational staff remaining, the meeting heard it would take about four months to get the old mill working again even with a last-minute cash injection.

A tentative plan to truck this year’s crop 85km south to the MSR Mulgrave mill at Gordonvale has stalled because of a dispute with transport costs.

A large subsidy from the state government is required to make the proposal financially viable.

Katter Australia Party Member for Hill Shane Knuth addresses the crowd at an emergency town hall meeting to debate the future of the Mossman Mill. Picture: Brian Cassey

Mr Amos attacked the state government’s lack of action to try to save the mill.

A $12.1m state government package to help “transition” the Mossman community away from reliance on sugar cane would be better used to keep the mill going until a long-term decision could be made, he said.

“The difficulty we’ve got is $12m that’s been allocated, but we need specificity with regards to where that money can be spent and where that’s actually going to go,” Mr Amos said.

“Is that a road subsidy transport?

“Is that a subsidy for the farmers, is that $12 million that’s going to go to get the mill operating?”

An additional fear raised in the meeting was the prospect of the liquidator starting to sell the mill’s assets, which would stop it from becoming operational again.

“Because the state government has announced $12m, the growers are wondering if part of that can help delay the complete closure of the mill,” State Member for Hill Mr Knuth said.

“They said once they start dismantling the mill, that was it and there was some real urgency because it’s understood the liquidator is expected to make a decision very soon.”

Mr Knuth said he would take the matter urgently to parliament.

Originally published as Last ditch meeting seeks ways to save Mossman sugar harvest