Wilmar talking to growers about early January finish to cane crushing season

Mill operator in talks with growers over extending its crush season after wet weather disruptions. Read further about their updates.

Wilmar Sugar's Proserpine Mill. Picture: Contributed

Wilmar is preparing to extend its crush early into 2023 due to rain disruptions this season.

General manager for cane supply Paul Giordani said the sugar cane company was in talks with grower collectives about extended season dates.

“We are working with growers, harvesting contractors and our employees on plans to crush into early January,” he said.

“Our eight mills have now processed a total of 12.45m tonnes of cane, which represents 76 per cent of the forecast 16.28m tonne crop.

“With world sugar prices currently above $600 a tonne, we remain focused on working with growers and harvesting contractors to get the whole crop off.”

An aerial shot of Wilmar's Proserpine Mill.

At Wilmar’s Proserpine Mill, teams were using any wet weather stops to perform necessary maintenance, reducing the need for scheduled maintenance stops, he said.

“Based on projected throughputs and additional time built in for wet weather, we currently expect to finish the Proserpine season in the first week of January.”

A similar finish date has been flagged for the Plane Creek Mill.

“A recent run of dry weather has improved ground conditions, bringing a gradual rise in bin weights and a noticeable reduction in mud levels,” Mr Giordani said.

“Factory reliability has remained at a good level. The Plane Creek crop is cutting well above estimate.”

Plane Creek Sugar Mill at Sarina, near Mackay. Picture: Rae Wilson

At Wilmar’s other mills:

• the Herbert River region received more than triple its October long-term average rainfall last month with the crop continuing to cut above estimate. An early January finish date has been flagged for their two mills.
• In the Burdekin, rain, burnt and dirty cane have posed extra challenges even as crush rates return to budgeted levels, Mr Giordani said.

“We are continuing to transfer cane to Invicta Mill from the other three Burdekin mills,” he reported.

The last of their four mills in the Burdekin is due to finish crushing in early January.