QLD: Qld sugar production lowest for five years

AAP General News (Australia)
12-17-1998
QLD: Qld sugar production lowest for five years

BRISBANE, Dec 17 AAP - Wet weather had turned Queenslands 1998 sugar crop into a disaster
with production down to 4.5 million tonnes, the lowest in five years, the Queensland Sugar
Corporation said today.

Chief Executive David Rutledge said the 800,000 tonne shortfall on initial season estimates
followed extraordinary weather patterns which seriously impacted on cane yields and sugar
content.

"The 1998 season is widely regarded by industry veterans as the worst in living memory and
to describe it as a disaster is not inappropriate," Dr Rutledge said in a statement.

"The impact of the depleted crop on regional economies will be serious and for many
individual producers the consequences will be disastrous."

Dr Rutledge said with almost five per cent of the crop still to be harvested, continuing
bad weather meant two million tonnes of cane in north Queensland would be unharvested.

Queenslands crushing season is due to finish on December 23 with only six of the 26 mills
still working.

Dr Rutledge said the lower raw sugar production had presented major marketing challenges.

"Our position has changed from having to sell what was forecast to be a record sugar
production into an over supplied world sugar market to not knowing whether or not we would
have sufficient raw sugar to meet our commitments to customers," he said.

Dr Rutledge said the 1999 crop was expected to be significantly better although bad weather
early this summer had caused widespread damage to newly planted cane crops.

Forecasts for the 1999 crop would be released in February or March, he said.

AAP geb/sd/mk

KEYWORD: SUGAR QLD

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