QCS held a series of grower information sessions throughout the Mackay district during the week. Weather conditions made it challenging for many growers to attend—in fact, some of our growers ended up fighting fires instead—but despite this, there was a great turnout.

QCS would like to thank those growers—Stuart Volker, Tony Bugeja, Steve McKeering and Joe and Stephen Muscat—who hosted sessions, generously offering up their sheds, their time and their barbecues!

Thanks also to the many growers who managed to find the time to come along and have a chat.

For those growers who were unable to make it along to a session, here is a brief recap of some of the issues discussed:

Forward pricing

Forward pricing (also known as Long Term Banded Pricing) can make a big difference in smoothing out your cashflow.

In the wash-up cane pays made last week, those growers with no forward pricing received average cane prices significantly below those of growers who participated in forward pricing.

Forward pricing is not for everyone, but it is certainly worth considering the benefits and risks and making an informed decision about whether it should form part of your business strategy.

Industry-best returns

Mackay growers can be confident that their returns have been amongst the industry’s best over the past couple of seasons, with 2017 Season average returns well above those of QSL, and more strong returns for the 2018 Season to date.

While there is still pricing and marketing to be done for the 2018 Season, QCS’ pricing pool performance continues to outperform that of other marketers.

Grower choice 2019 Season

Mackay Sugar is working toward being able to offer grower choice in the Mackay district for the 2019 Season. While it is certainly the intention that grower choice is in place for next season, there are a number of issues still to be worked through, including negotiating on-supply agreements with GEI Marketers, and agreeing amendments to the Cane Supply and Processing Agreements with Bargaining Representatives. All parties are working constructively to conclude the negotiations.

Want more information?

If you have any questions or would like more information about any of the above, please don’t hesitate to give us a call on 1800 774 246.

30 November 2018