Sugar
Annual Production Value
$350 Million
% Agricultural Output
30%
Annual Ethanol Production
60 Million litres
Legacy in sugar, future in innovation.
From Proserpine, and the Whitsundays in the north, to Mackay, through Sarina and as far south as Carmilla and Koumala, the Greater Whitsunday region was built on the back of the sugar cane industry.
With much of the industry now etched into the region’s lore, sugar has innovated, adapted, and taken a future focus to extend its operations beyond crystalised sugar to biomanufacturing, agronomy research and energy production.
The gross value production of sugarcane is worth close to $350 million each year to the region. Sugar accounts for over 30% of the region’s agricultural output, with 85% of produce exported, predominantly to Singapore, South Korea and New Zealand, followed by the USA and Thailand.
Sugarcane powered transport.
You might spot a few green buses on the region’s roads. The buses were built for the Mackay public transport network that are run on bioethanol made from sugarcane. from Wilmar Bioethanol Australia distillery in Sarina. They have eye-catching designs featuring sugarcane and residents can jump on board and ride on the first of many low-emissions buses that will soon make up part of Queensland’s public transport system.
Adapting to agricultural trends.
Farmers and agribusiness across the Greater Whitsunday region are known for out-of-the-box thinking and learning to adapt to changing agricultural trends and technological advancements. Our region has strong historical ties to generational farming; however a new era is emerging to find new ways to increase efficiency, enhance productivity and sustainable practices. An example of this is Bessie and Sam Orr who specialize in sugarcane cultivation with a blend of old and new on their Prosperine farm.
Planted in history.
Sugar cane farming began in Australia in the 1860s and by 1870 there were 28 mills operating across the state. By the early 1880s when the era was at its peak the Mackay district was the leading sugar growing area in the state 31 major plantations and 26 mills. Fast forward two centuries later and 200,000 tonnes refined sugar is while 850,000 tomes of raw sugar is exported from Port of Mackay. Today, 29 % of Australia’s sugar cane crops are in Mackay equal to 101,054 hectares of land under production.
Accessible agtech.
Sugar Research Australia is the sugar industry’s peak research body who are helping growers, by creating and broadening opportunities in irrigation with the help of agtech products easily found at the local hardware store. In the past five years, the accessibility and accelerated availability of of home automation technology, has opened the window of opportunity for those in the sugar cane industry.
From cane fields to new frontiers.
- Innovative sugarcane growing and milling practices
- Sugar Australia refinery, located adjacent to Racecourse Mill
- Long held commitment to research and crop resilience development through Sugar Research Australia
- Prolific institutional representation within the region for organisations such as Canegrowers, Queensland Sugar Limited, Sugar Research Institute and Sugar Australia
- The use of cane fibre to create heat and steam in mill boilers, as well as produce renewable biomass fuel and cogenerate electricity.
- Wilmar’s Plane Creek Mill in Sarina makes about 60 million litres of ethanol annually
- Nordzucker’s Racecourse Mill in Mackay provides sufficient electricity for 30% of Mackay’s electricity grid
- New initiatives such as the QUT Biocommodities Renewable Pilot Plant in Mackay are pioneering cleaner biofuels, and green chemicals
Next-gen farmers fuel Mackay’s bio-future
Wilmar’s Plane Creek Mill in Sarina makes about 60 million litres of ethanol annually while Nordzucker’s Racecourse Mill in Mackay provides sufficient electricity for 30% of Mackay’s electricity grid. New initiatives such as the QUT Biocommodities Renewable Pilot Plant in Mackay are pioneering cleaner biofuels, and green chemicals.
Industry Accelerators
Latest News
Teemburra Dam
Our proactive councils are dedicated to fostering tourism and encouraging investment, providing a robust foundation for sustainable growth and development in the region.
Ag Mastermind event to transform sugarcane industry for future generations.
Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) and Canegrowers Mackay are transforming the sugarcane landscape with a collaboration to challenge some thinking around farming as a career and attract young people to the sugarcane industry.
Queensland Parliament delegation focuses on Greater Possibilities
Greater Whitsunday Alliance (GW3) and a range of regional change champions travelled to Brisbane to share the greater possibilities ahead for the Greater Whitsunday region in October .
Featured Programs
Greater Whitsunday AgTech Hub
The Greater Whitsunday Agtech Hub promoting innovation and adoption of AgTech, amplifying opportunities across agribusinesses and supply chains. Learn about agtech and join us in bringing new ways of farming, people and capabilities to the region.
Resources & Downloads
Regional
Agribusiness Supply Chain Mapping
Report
Future Employment Study
2020
Greater Whitsunday
Biomanufacturing
Blueprint 1.0
Growing Greater
Whitsunday Agribusiness Report
Stage 1
Mackay
Future Foods BioHub
Prospectus
Mackay Isaac Whitsunday
Investing in Biofutures
Greater Whitsunday Agribusiness
Supply Chain
Baseline Study
Regional
Agribusiness Supply Chain Mapping
Report
Future Employment Study
2020
Greater Whitsunday
Biomanufacturing
Blueprint 1.0
Growing Greater
Whitsunday Agribusiness Report
Stage 1
Mackay
Future Foods BioHub
Prospectus
Mackay Isaac Whitsunday
Investing in Biofutures
Greater Whitsunday Agribusiness
Supply Chain
Baseline Study
Regional
Agribusiness Supply Chain Mapping
Report
Future Employment Study
2020
Greater Whitsunday
Biomanufacturing
Blueprint 1.0
Growing Greater
Whitsunday Agribusiness Report
Stage 1
Mackay
Future Foods BioHub
Prospectus
Mackay Isaac Whitsunday
Investing in Biofutures
Greater Whitsunday Agribusiness
Supply Chain
Baseline Study