The Australian sugar industry

The Australian sugar industry has suffered two years of extreme difficulty and is still in recovery mode. Better crops are expected for 2001 than in 2000, however production at 4.5 mn tonnes of sugar will still be well below the industry’s maximum production in 1997 of 5.4 mn tonnes

The Australian industry is spread mainly along the coast of Queensland with some cane grown in New South Wales and Western Australia. Cane farming is characteristically on family owned enterprises of around 70 hectares. Farms are highly mechanized and harvesting is a fully mechanized operation. Most cane is now cut green. Sugar milling is largely concentrated in the hands of three large milling groups with a number of smaller independent ones.

Australia is strongly committed to reform of world trade in the raw sugar area and has been a major force in establishing the Global Alliance for Sugar Trade Reform and Liberalisation.