SUGARCANE is one of Australia's largest and most important rural industries, and for more than a hundred years, the Burdekin district has played a major part in this vibrant industry.
After Brazil and Thailand, Australia is the third largest raw sugar producer, with 80 per cent of the country's sugar exported. The remaining 20pc is sold on the domestic market.
The national area harvested is just over 360,000 hectares, with about 30 million tonnes of cane crushed and 4.2mt of sugar produced.
The Burdekin stands out as the leading cane-growing region in Australia, with each harvested hectare producing on average of more than 100t of cane, whereas the average production per hectare across Australia is about 85t of cane.
The main reasons for the Burdekin's high production are fertile soils and access to water for irrigation. The high tonnage per hectare is a key reason why the Burdekin continues to burn prior to harvesting.
Each tonne of cane harvested represents revenue of $35 to $40, depending on the international price and the Australian dollar.
The total cane harvested in the Burdekin for the season just ended was 7.3mt, which represents total revenue of $255 million to $292m.
This crop was 700,000t below the 12-year average of 8mt, and the financial impact of the forgone revenue of $24m to $28m will have a significant impact on the Burdekin economy.
The area harvested was 71,403ha.
For the financial year ended June 30, 2013, the international sugar price ranged from a high of 23.92c/lb to a low of 16.21c/lb, while the Australian dollar ranged from a high of A$/USD 1.0594 to a low of A$/USD 0.9207.
