Blog

2017 Season weighted average net pool price for ICE 11 managed pools ($ per IPS tonne) QCS 457.85 QSL 414.56 In a recent Australian Canegrower magazine article, QSL published its 2017 Season weighted average net pool price for ICE 11 managed pools. US Quota returns were not included in that figure, as the US Quota is an ICE 16 pool. QSL’s Shared Pool return was included in the return. QCS has calculated its 2017 in-season pricing return on the same basis, so that you can directly co...

QCS’ Brisbane office will be relocating to Level 5, 444 Queen Street from Monday 2 July. Earlier this year, QCS was asked to vacate its current office in order for the building to be demolished to make way for a new development. QCS' new office on Level 5 of Trustee House is located across the road from Customs House. Growers visiting Brisbane are always welcome to drop in to the QCS office at any time for a coffee and a chat about pricing. The QCS office will not be open for visitors this Thursday an...

The Australian sugar industry has farewelled one of its greats, with the death of Harry Bonnano last week, aged 88. Harry Rosario Bonanno was honoured at a service in Childers on 11 April 2018 by family, friends, community and the industry he served for almost four decades. Mr Bonanno was Chairman of Isis Canegrowers for 28 years between 1973–2001 and led the Queensland Canegrowers Organisation for 12 years from 1989–2001. He was a strong and passionate advocate for canegrowers and the sugar industry thr...

Mackay growers' in-season pricing is in very good shape, with QCS’ pricing performance over the season being substantially better than other marketers’ published results. That's the key message from 'shed meetings' held over the last few weeks, at which QCS updated Mackay growers on their 2017 season pricing. The QCS pricing team is always happy to talk with you about in-season and/or forward pricing, so please feel free to call Steve or Shaun on 1800 774 246 – or send us an email and we’ll be in t...

QCS will be holding its first 2018 shed meetings in the Mackay region next week. At the meetings, General Manager Brent Casey and Executive Manager Risk Steve Stone will give an update on QCS’ pooling performance, provide a market outlook and answer any questions you might have. The following growers have generously agreed to host the shed meetings (which usually last around two hours): Monday 12 February 10.00am Tony Bugeja 2.00pm Joe Muscat Tuesday 13 February 10.00am Andre Camilleri 2.00pm Grah...

The QCS offices in Brisbane and Mackay will be closed for a break over the Christmas and New Year period. We will be closed from Monday 25 December 2017, opening again on Monday 8 January 2018. You can still call us on 1800 774 246 during the Christmas/New Year break. We would like to wish everyone a safe and happy Christmas and New Year, and we look forward to talking with you about raw sugar pricing and marketing during shed meetings in 2018. We’ll be in touch again in mid January with the dates and times...

The 2017 season is in full swing and pricing is naturally on growers’ minds. Here’s a quick ‘refresher’ on how your in-season returns are calculated. The final return that Mackay growers* receive for the 2017 Season is a combination of: the QCS Short Term Pool price, which combines QCS and QSL managed pools a Shared Pool component individual forward pricing completed (if any). Movement over the season in sugar and currency markets impacts the value of pools, and pool returns are not final u...

Growers may have noticed that over recent weeks there has been a substantial drop in the QSL Harvest Pool price. The percentage of sugar priced in the QSL Harvest Pool has also dropped from 68 per cent to 25 per cent. These changes have occurred because QSL has allowed a substantial amount of Grower Economic Interest (GEI) sugar to be brought into the QSL Harvest Pool, as a result of the nomination of QSL as a GEI Marketer for a number of growers that supply sugar to Wilmar mills. QSL’s inclusion of this ad...

Growers can now view QCS’ pool prices on our new website, enabling them to compare pricing and marketing outcomes from those raw sugar marketers that publish their prices. QCS manages the price risk on approximately 900,000 metric tonnes of raw sugar per year for Mackay Sugar Limited and the growers that supply Mackay Sugar. QCS’ aim is to provide the best possible returns for growers, while appropriately managing the risk involved in pricing and marketing activities. QCS’ pricing team is the best in...

QCS has made some exciting changes to continue improve services to growers. QCS has opened a Brisbane office at Level 4, 370 Queen Street. This office complements QCS's existing facilities at Farleigh Mill. The addition of a Brisbane office enhances QCS's ability to attract capable staff to key positions by providing options to accommodate the professional and person needs of employees. Brisbane premises also allows QCS staff members to interact more regularly and closely with banks and key stakeholders, i...