Bitter blow to sugar regions

NORTH Queensland’s two sugarcane districts have been revealed as the biggest losers if farmers are forced to reduce nitrogen fertiliser applications by up to 30 per cent, according to a new report.

A report commissioned by Canegrowers Queensland predicts a total of $57m is estimated to be wiped from the Burdekin and Hinchinbrook economies annually should the farmers be forced to comply with the State Government’s Reef regulations, which will force cane growers to cut nitrogen use on their crops by 30 per cent.

Burdekin Mayor Lyn Mclaughlin said if the statistics were as drastic as reported, the economy would take a catastrophic blow.

“A lot of consultation will have to occur moving forward with all areas of industry and the community because the economic impact on employment and flow-on effects will not be limited to just growers and the mills, but the wider region which their families live and invest in,” she said.

Statistics released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics listed the Burdekin and Hinchinbrook regions as the highest performing sugarcane harvesters last financial year.

The two regions harvested almost 12 million tonnes worth of sugarcane, in comparison to the Mackay/isaac/whitsunday region, which produced about 7.7 million tonnes.

The Canegrowers report stated the processing capacity of two sugar mills would be made redundant while across the state an eye-watering $1.3bn was estimated to be lost.

Agriculture, forestry and fisheries industry represents 25 per cent of the Burdekin district’s full-time employment and 7.9 per cent of Hinchinbrook’s.

Hinchinbrook Shire Mayor Ramon Jayo said for a district that relied on sugarcane, it would mean less money spent in town.

“If nitrogen levels have to be reduced that would obviously mean that the yield would decrease in the cane,” Mr Jayo said.

“The less cane cut, the less money paid and the less money paid, the less money to go round the district.

“It is a significant issue to us in the sense that we are predominantly cane ... it is something that we rely on.”

Canegrowers chairman Paul Schembri warned the industry would not survive if it was pushed to use 30 per cent less nitrogen fertiliser on crops.

“The industry cannot survive if this unfounded push to reduce nitrogen use below optimal levels continues,” he said.

“Even driving catchment water quality back to pre-development levels, with everyone going broke in the process, would have a limited impact on the Great Barrier Reef as a whole because inshore areas account for 5 per cent or less of the coral reef area.”