Council money saves cane industry
Fri 15 June 2007
Bethany Young, Journalism
Maroochy Shire Council has awarded a $125,000 grant to Nambour based company Biocane to produce Cow Candy, a cattle fodder made entirely from sugar cane.
Cow Candy is a sweet smelling fodder that BioCane describes as a "bundle of energy for dairy and beef cattle".
BioCane general manager Warren Weitemeyer said Cow Candy had been well received in Japan, Korea and Taiwan.
"It was first sent to these countries as a means of evaluation and they gave fantastic feedback," Mr Weitemeyer said.
He said Cow Candy was proving to be a saviour for the struggling cane industry on the Sunshine Coast.
The closure of the Nambour Sugar Mill in 2003 left Sunshine Coast canefarmers with few options and no income. Maroochy Shire Mayor Joe Natoli said the sugar mill closed as sugar production was simply no longer viable. The high cost of producing and transporting the cane outweighed the price of sugar.
Sunshine Coast Canegrower’s Association director and Cooroy cane farmer Tom Kennedy said he had felt the brunt of the mill’s closure.
"I started growing cane in 1996, so I was relatively new to the industry when the mill shut. I’ve been out of work since the mill closed and I’ve been doing whatever I can to make ends meet," he said.
Mr Kennedy said cane growers were at a loss as to what to do with their land.
"There are 7000 hectares of cane land on the Coast that is not suitable for anything but growing cane. You can’t build a house on it, you can’t grow other crops - it’s only good for one thing.
"Where we are there is nothing else we can do with our land. We can’t even subdivide since the council won’t allow it. How are we supposed to make money from our land?" Mr Kennedy said.
The low price of sugar meant cane farmers had to look for another industry to sell their cane.
"Sugar is only worth nine cents a pound now, so even if the mill was still open, sugar is just not a viable industry anymore," Mr Kennedy said.
Mr Weitemeyer said he agreed with Mr Kenn, noting that Sunshine Coast cane growers could earn far more money from selling their cane to BioCane than from transporting it to mills north or south of the region.
Cr Natoli said sugar cane had been grown successfully on the Sunshine Coast for more than 100 years and had shown itself to be a productive and resilient crop, which is why Maroochy Shire Council is "so eager to show its support" to Biocane.
Mr Weitemeyer said Biocane had received "several valuable financial contributions" from Maroochy Shire Council. BioCane had already received two grants of $125,000 with the Council committed to further grants.
Cr Natoli said council was dedicated to investing a further $500,000 to BioCane over the next four years. Council considered the financial outlay an investment in the future prosperity of the region, rather than a donation.
"Maroochy Council’s funding of Cow Candy reflects its recognition of the importance of sustainable use of the cane lands to the shire, Cr Natoli said.
Mr Weitemeyer said while the local, state and federal governments had played a vital role in BioCane’s success, those who backed the project the most were the farmers.
Mr Kennedy said he believed Cow Candy was where the Sunshine Coast cane industry was headed. He said his entire family has bought shares in the company.
At a recent meeting 10 farmers pledged nearly $1 million for the Cow Candy initiative.
"Suncorp told us if we raised $1.4 million they would loan us another $2 million," Mr Kennedy said.
However Mr Kennedy said more money needed to be raised for the farmers. He said it was a huge expense to clean up the paddocks and to ensure the cane is of a high enough quality for BioCane.
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