Current and future arrangements for the marketing of Australian sugar
Submission 46 - Supplementary Submission
My letter of 5th November spoke about the ownership of sugar issue. I said
that cane-growers and mill-owners made sugar together in a partnership where
each owned the raw sugar made. In this submission I want to follow on from my
first submission and talk about the merits of such a partnership.
I was manager Of Victoria Mill for 10 years in the seventies and eighties. I retired
in 1989, and from then until 1995, I worked on contract for nearly all of the mills
in Queensland not owned by CSR. I think this overall experience equipped me
with the knowledge of what the Cane-growers and the mill could each benefit
from, by working as partners.
It would be simple to say that cane-growers could not make sugar in an economic
way without the Mill. And the mill could not make sugar without the
cane-growers. Simple stuff, but true.
I would like to talk about partnership in the years 1985-1989. Some really big
changes were made at Victoria Mill and its cane area in those years. These
changes made a real win-win situation for both. And they are as valuable now as
they were then.
The first big change was that over these years the partnership went from almost
complete burnt cane to complete green cane. Both sides agreed to do it, despite a
forecast of increased extraneous matter in the cane for milling. When one recalls
that burning cane was introduced in 1935, when some cane-cutters were dying
because rats were peeing in wet fields of green cane, and passing on weils disease
to some of the cutters. Because of this, burning was introduced and remained as
part of the harvest until the latter part of the 1980's in the Victoria mill area, even
though manual harvesting ceased in the early ‘seventies.
Victoria Mill was the first mill in Australia to get back to complete green cane
harvesting. And needless to say the Town of Ingham and surrounding hamlets
were delighted at no more black embers.
This change had pros and cons for each partner. Harvesters had to be beefed up
to cope with the increased trash in green cane. At the same time, the trash flying
from the harvester spread a thick mat neatly over the paddock being harvested.
Current and future arrangements for the marketing of Australian sugar
Submission 46 - Supplementary Submission
The growers left the trash blanket as is, and ratooned the cane for the subsequent
year through the blanket. The blanket smothered weeds and because no tractors
were running over the paddock, there was minimal compaction of soil. The whole
exercise improved the yields of cane, significantly. Wet weather during harvest
was no longer a problem in that there was no leftover burnt cane to worry about.
The harvest just stopped and resumed when possible.
For the mill, it began accepting more extraneous matter, which was felt by chutes
throughout both crushing trains wearing them thinner. This was a problem, but
there was a favorable result in an increase in the mill fuel, bagasse. An outside
mill bagasse tank was built which enabled us to save excess bagasse in periods of
heavy trash intake. The tank also enabled us to take bagasse out of the tank and
store it in the mill grounds. The stored bagasse formed some twenty feet high
small mountains of bagasse which we dubbed arab cakes, because as we saw it,
they were taking the place of some injections of imported oil for added fuel for
the mill. Again, Victoria Mill was the first mill to adopt such a practice.
Having this excess bagasse to work with we could keep the boilers operating
when the mill was not crushing. This enabled us to make more electricity. We
were able to pump into the grid increased megawatts of electricity, enough to
supply the town of Ingham and the cane farms with lights and power.
There were three big changes in the sugar industry at Victoria Mill in the period
between 1930 and 1990.
The first big change was the introduction of new cane varieties from 1940 on.
Trojan and Pindar were the first of many varieties that were bred by my Dad. They
lifted the tons per acre of cane significantly. My Dad was awarded the OBE – The
Most Excellent Order of the British Empire - by the Queen, for his work in
breeding new sugarcane varieties
The second big change was the changeover to mechanical harvesting in the
‘sixties and I introduced some night harvesting in a new plan for our transport
fleet. This change required some extensive meetings with the growers. The
agreed change eventually went forward and significantly reduced the delay from
Current and future arrangements for the marketing of Australian sugar
Submission 46 - Supplementary Submission
cutting to crushing to ensure that the sugar for sale was of high quality. This
significant change was made necessary because manual harvesting presented the
mill supply in whole stalks. Mechanical harvesting cut the cane into short billets
which introduced more cut faces and the mill feed deteriorated much more
quickly and produced needle like sugar crystals in the mill final sugar make.
The third big change was the move to complete green cane harvesting. This move
helped the mill to maintain top quality raw sugar and the ability for the mill to do
that could be said to be a present from the growers. The sale of such high quality
sugar should not be forgotten.
Ralph Gard
Current and future arrangements for the marketing of Australian sugar
Submission 46 - Supplementary Submission
?# COMMET{T
letters to the editCIr
Sweet quality
the period between 1930 and 1990.
The first big change was the intro-
MY LETTER published in the Herbert River Express on November 5
duction of new cane varieties from
spoke about the ownership of sugar
Trojan and Pindar were the first of
many that were bred by my Dad.
1940 on.
issue.
I said that cane growers and mill
owners made sugar together in a part-
They lifted the tons per acre of
cane significantly.
nership where each owned the raw
sugar made. In this letter I want to
talk about the merits of a partnership.
My Dad was awarded the OBE ---the most excellent Order of.the British Empire
the Queen for this
- bynew
work in breeding
sugar cane vari-
I was manager of Victoria Mill for
10 years
in the 1970s and 1980s.
eties.
I retired in 1989, and from then
until
1995,
The second big change was the
I worked on contract for
changeover to mechanical harvesting
and I had a bit to do with that change
in reducing the delay from cutting to
crushing.
nearly all of the mills in Queensland
notownedbyCSR.
I
think this overall
experience
equipped me with the knowledge of
what the Canegrowers and the mill
could eachbenefit from byworking as
parhers. It would be simple to say
that canegrowers could not make
sugar in an economic way without the
mill. And the mill could not make
sugar without the canegrowers.
Simple stuff, but true.
I would like to talk about parbrer-
The mill feed became small cut
At the same time, the trash flying
from the hawester spread a thick mat
neatly over the paddock being har-
themill.
vested.
with we cotrld keep the boilers operating when the mill was not crushing.
This enabled us to make more elec-
The growers left the trash blanket
as is, and ratooned the cane for the
subsequent year through the blankel
The blanket smothered weeds and
ship in the years 1985-1989.
because no tractors were running
over the paddock, there was minimal
Some really big changes were
made at Victoria Mill and its cane
compaction of soil.
The whole exercise improved the
area in those years.
yielfu of cane, significantly.
Wet weather during harvest was
no longer a problem in that there was
no leftover burnt cane to worry about.
The harvest just stopped and re-
These changes made a real winwin situation for both.
And they are as valuable now as
they were then.
The first big change was that over
these years the parbrership went from
almost complete burnt cane to complete green cane.
When one recalls that buming
cane was introduced in 1935 because
canecutters were dying because rats
were peeing in wet fields of green
cane, and passing on weils disease to
some of the cutters.
Because of this, burning was intro-
the place of imported oil for fuel for
sumed when possible.
For the mill, it began accepting
more extraneous matter, which was
felt by chutes throughout both crushingtrains wearing them thinner.
This was a problem, but there was
a favourable result in an increase in
the mill fuel, bagasse.
An outside mill bagasse tank was
built which enabled us to save excess
bagasse in periods of heavy trash in-
duced and remained as part of the
harvest until the latter part of the
1980s in the Victoria mill area.
This change had pros and cons for
take. The tank also enabled us to take
bagasse out ofthe tank and store it in
the mill grounds.
The stored bagasse formed some
each.
twenty feet high small mountains of
Harvesters had to be beefed up to
cope with the trash, heavy green cane.
bagasse which we dubbed arab cakes,
because as we saw it, they were taking
Having this excess bagasse to work
tricity.
Wewere ableto pump into the grid
some 18 megawatts of electricity
which are enough for the town oflngham and some of the cane farms with
lights andpower.
There were three big changes in
the sugar industry at Victoria Mill in
of cane which deteriorated
much more quickly than the manual
cut whole stalks.
The third big change was the move
pieces
to complete green cane harvesting.
This move helped the mill to pro-
duce top quality raw sugar and the
ability for the mill to do that could be
said to be a present from the growers.
The sale ofsuch high quality sugar
should not be forgoL
Ralph Gard,
Yamba.