Crushing season kicks off

: Published: 17 June 2022

The 2022 crushing season is under way at our Queensland sugar mills.

Victoria Mill in the Herbert region has kicked off the 2022 crush for the Wilmar Sugar group, with the first bin of cane tipped just after 11am on Tuesday (14 June).

It was the first of Wilmar’s eight mills to start the season.

Inkerman and Invicta mills in the Burdekin also started crushing on Tuesday, 14 June, along with Macknade Mill in the Herbert and Plane Creek Mill in Sarina.

Wilmar’s other Burdekin mills – Kalamia and Pioneer – started on Monday, 20 June.

Proserpine Mill is scheduled to start on 28 June.

General Manager Operations Mike McLeod said the outlook for the 2022 season was positive, with a good-sized sugarcane crop and strong global sugar prices.

“We’re looking at a total crop estimate of 15.28 million tonnes for the Wilmar group, which is about 680,000 tonnes up on last year, and we expect to see some upside in the crop due to the good growing conditions.

“We’re also seeing sugar prices of around $600 a tonne over recent months, which is real cause for optimism.”

Mr McLeod said Wilmar was spending $200 million in capital and maintenance in its sugar milling assets this year.

Key capital replacement projects completed ahead of the 2022 crush include a new pan for Macknade Mill, new evaporator for Kalamia Mill, new cane carriers at Victoria and Inkerman mills and three newly-rebuilt locos for Proserpine and Plane Creek mills.

General Manager Cane Supply and Transport Paul Giordani urged locals and visitors to take care around Wilmar’s cane rail network, with cane trains now in 24-hour operation across the regions.

“Please remember to approach all cane rail crossings with caution, use your train brain and always give way to cane trains,” he said.

SNAPSHOT BY REGION

BURDEKIN