Isis Mill offers $250,000 for farmers to plant more cane

Isis Central Sugar Mill has thrown out a challenge to local cane farmers and prospective cane growers, to plant new cane and receive an incentive payment. Full details here:

Isis Central Sugar Mill has thrown out a challenge to local cane farmers and prospective cane growers, to plant new cane and receive an incentive payment. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)

Isis Central Sugar Mill has thrown out a challenge to local cane farmers and prospective cane growers, to plant new cane and receive an incentive payment.

Isis Mill has put additional weight behind the Target 250 initiative announced in June by allocating $250,000 in planting incentives to encourage more cane to be planted in new areas.

Alliance chairman and Isis Mill CEO Craig Wood said ensuring the sustainability of the sugar industry was of benefit to cane growers, harvesters, suppliers and the Isis Mill.

“Our initial focus is Target 250, a program to add an extra 250,000 tonne of cane to ensure Isis Mill crushes a minimum of 1.5 million tonne of cane per year,” Mr Wood said.

“In reaching this level of throughput, the factory will be able to create the cash flow to continually update equipment which is the biggest factor in keeping sugar mills operational.

Isis Central Sugar Mill has thrown out a challenge to local cane farmers and prospective cane growers, to plant new cane and receive an incentive payment. (Photo by YAMIL LAGE / AFP)

“Isis Mill is calling for expressions of interest from existing or prospective cane growers to plant additional, new land to sugar cane. If their EOI is approved, growers will receive an incentive payment to subsidise planting of $500 per hectare but it must be planted in Spring 2024,” he said.

To be eligible, the land must not have had cane grown on it for three years and must be in addition to the existing total production area of the grower.

Isis Mill will determine eligibility of land and allocation of the incentive payment at its discretion based on commercial considerations.

“The sugar industry is a major employer and economic generator for our region, so anything we can do to grow the industry and make it more sustainable, we will investigate,” Mr Wood said.

Expression of Interest forms are on the Isis Central Sugar Mill website at www.isissugar.com.au