Nordzucker Post 01/2021 - 28 January 2021

Mackay Sugar ends successful 2020 “crushing season”

After a good six months, MSL has completed the 2020 “crushing season” (processing period) in Australia. More than 5.1 million tons of cane were processed.

After cane processing started in early June, the Farleigh mills successfully completed the crushing season after just over six months on December 7 and Racecourse and Marian on December 10, 2020.
Even though rainfall repeatedly led to short interruptions of up to three days during the processing period, the entire cane could be crushed. Because sugar cane cannot be harvested for stock and cannot be delivered to the mill during heavy rains, such weather-related interruptions, though not desirable, are not unusual. The rainfalls that are currently expected during the rainy season over the summer months (Winter in Europe = Summer in Australia), which this time were intensified by the El Niña phenomenon, have been good for cane growth since the end of processing. These weeks, after the rain, growers are waiting for the necessary and also announced sunshine with corresponding high temperatures.

Jannik Olejas, Chief Executive Officer of MSL, states: “On the whole, the crushing season has gone well. Once again, we were able to process the entire cane and did not have to leave any cane unharvested in the fields due to the weather. Efficiency and availability were once again improved, although the targets set here have not yet been reached. We will use the time between the crushing seasons to implement our maintenance and investment measures. Starting the next crushing season on time is important for us and the growers.”

Thanks to the improved efficiency of the mills, bagasse available for power generation in the Co-Generation facility has increased significantly compared with the previous year. This enables a significant reduction in coal consumption. A great success!

A total of approximately 5.15 million tons of sugar cane were processed with an average of 14.1% Commercial Cane Sugar (CCS) (comparable to sugar content minus yield loss for sugar beets). Both values are above average and expectations for the season. A very pleasing result for both MSL and the growers.

Looking ahead to the upcoming maintenance season and next crushing season, Michael Gerloff, Chairman on MSL’s Board of Directors, states, “In addition to the technical challenges in the mills, we must to continue to work on cane logistics and the attractiveness of sugar cane for our growers. We want to further strengthen our position as a trusted partner for growers and our marketing channels in Australia and Southeast Asia.”