2011 - AUD 430.00 to AUD 435.00
2012 - AUD 397.00 to AUD 402.00
2013 - AUD 394.00 to AUD 399.00
2011 - AUD 38.68 to AUD 39.02
2012 - AUD 35.69 to AUD 36.02
2013 - AUD 35.42 to AUD 35.75
Sugar Millers and Bio-refinery
Adding Value to Cane
The Proserpine region was first settled by Europeans in 1861 and the Proserpine Central Sugar Mill was established in 1897. The Mill was subscribed by the Government and built under the Sugar Works Guarantee Act 1893. A large debt and lack of throughput meant that the Mill very quickly got into financial difficulty and in 1900 management of the Mill was handed to the Government.
The Government took ownership of the Mill in 1904 under its Bureau of Central Sugar Mills which continued until 1931 when the Proserpine Co-operative Sugar Milling Association was formed and the growers resumed control of the Mill.
In its first season in 1897 the Mill processed 10,919 tons of cane in 99 days from 39 suppliers. In 2007 the Mill processed 1.76 million tonnes of cane in 121 days from 250 suppliers and produced 247,521 tonnes of IPS sugar.
All of the raw sugar produced by the Mill each year is exported. Marketing of the sugar is undertaken by Queensland Sugar Limited who is also responsible for pricing of a significant quantity of the sugar. Deregulation of the sugar industry has created opportunities for millers and growers to undertake their own pricing on a proportion of their production. The Proserpine Mill has developed a range of pricing products that allow growers to hedge the price on up to 70% of their average production for up to 5 years in the future.
Pricing products will continue to be developed as circumstances dictate.
Proserpine Sugar has embarked on a value-adding program intended to add value to sugar cane. This policy recognises that the industry cannot be viable and sustainable into the future if it continues to depend mainly on revenue from raw sugar for its financial well being. The sugar cane plant has enormous potential for the production of high value products other than raw sugar and it is these that Proserpine Sugar intends to exploit in the future.
Projects under development include a 5,000 tonnes per annum furfural plant which is close to completion and a 50,000 tonnes per annum soil conditioner manufacturing facility which is well advanced. Once completed, these projects will deliver additional income streams that will add value to the business and its owners – the members who supply cane.
ABN 42 183 428 402