Our Herbert and Burdekin factories have now finished the 2023 season, and Proserpine Mill is on track to crush out over the weekend.

Plane Creek Mill is currently expected to finish the season in the first week of January.

As a group, we expect to process a total of 15.12 million tonnes of cane for the season – about 780,000 tonnes less than the pre-season estimate.

HERBERT

• The Herbert region finished the season on Sunday 26 November when the last cane was crushed at Victoria Mill. Macknade Mill crushed out the day before.
• We processed a total of 3.99 million tonnes of cane to produce 498,000 tonnes of raw sugar.
• The season CCS was 13.02 units – well up on last year’s average of 11.59 units.

BURDEKIN

• Pioneer Mill crushed out on Sunday morning (3 December), bringing an end to the Burdekin season.
• Kalamia Mill finished on Friday 17 November, Inkerman Mill on Wednesday 29 November and Invicta Mill on Thursday 30 November
• The four factories processed a total of 8.03 million tonnes of cane, to manufacture about 1.18 million tonnes of raw sugar. The provisional season average CCS was 14.72 units, which is higher than originally forecast.

PROSERPINE

• Proserpine Mill is in the final days of the season, with 1.66 million tonnes processed – about 97 per cent of the total estimated crop.
• We expect to see the last cane harvested this Friday, although this is dependent on factory production rates. Some cane may have to be cut on Saturday.
• The season-to-date CCS is currently 14.5 units.

PLANE CREEK

• We’ve now processed about 1.18M tonnes of cane, which represents 84 per cent of the estimated total crop.
• Ground conditions are challenging following recent heavy rain, but the harvesting sector is doing a commendable job of maintaining cane supply.
• Average weekly CCS has softened as a result of recent rain events. This week’s average is 13.03 units.

PAUL GIORDANI
General Manager - Cane Supply and Grower Relations