FUTURE FOCUS BEYOND SUGAR
THE WAY FORWARD IS DIVERSIFICATION. WE CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO LIVE AND DIE ON THE WORLD PRICE OF CRYSTAL SUGAR.
MORE tourism and more diversity in agriculture are keys to turning around an economy which is barely growing and where its population is in decline, Hinchinbrook Mayor Ramon Jayo says.
Cr Jayo said the council’s strategies included developing a wilderness recreation precinct based on the popular Broadwater National Park near Ingham and diversifying the farming sector into other crops and into gaining income from other products derived from cane.
“The way forward is diversification,” Cr Jayo told a business luncheon at the North Queensland Club in Townsville on Friday.
“We can no longer afford to live and die on the world price of crystal sugar.”
Cr Jayo was one of three regional mayors to address the luncheon.
He said the Hinchinbrook region was a “beautiful and very liveable place” but was going backwards because of its reliance on sugar cane.
Average annual growth was 0.1 per cent, its medium age was 47.9 years and its population of 11,100 was expected to decrease by 0.8 per cent per year over the next 25 years.
Cr Jayo said the trawler fleet at Lucinda and forestry activities including a Foxwood mill had long gone, taking with it many jobs, while mechanisation had reduced sugar industry jobs.
“We need to address the population decline by creating new jobs with new industry. My focus is to re-
RAMON JAYO
invigorate our economy by attracting new business, new industry and new money,” Cr Jayo said.
He said the council was pursuing tourism, renewable energy and sport and recreation such as mountain biking, water sports and hiking.
They had engaged with govern- ment and land owners to establish a wilderness recreational precinct at Broadwater National Park.
“We hope to grow this venture into a world- class wilderness bike racing event not dissimilar to the Paluma Push,” Cr Jayo said.
He said the council was working with the agriculture industry to identify alternative cropping.
This was important to improve soil health and combat declining yields from continual cane growing.
Cr Jayo said the council was also supporting efforts by the North Queensland Bio- Energy Corporation to develop a new sugar mill producing ethanol and green energy.
The mill would enable cane growers to be paid for products other than crystal sugar, he said.