Community
19 June, 2024
KAP’s take on sugar mill crisis
The future of Mossman sugar mill and the shire’s cane industry in general has been a concern for some months now.
Certain canegrowers have been working on a plan to send some of the current harvest south, by truck, to the Mulgrave mill in Gordonvale.
This may have certain logistical issues, considering the fact that part of the Captain Cook Highway is closed at night for continuing repairs and the state of the road in certain parts is still not great due to previous heavy rain.
MPs Bob Katter and Shane Knuth together with KAP Candidate for Cook Duane Amos, visited Mossman last week to discuss the potential saving of the sugar mill at an open meeting in Mossman’s Shire Hall.
The three guests expressed their passion for the agricultural industry, with Mr Knuth wishing to share his experiences having the fully operational Tully, South Johnstone and Tablelands mills, all currently in his constituency.
The general opinion of the three speakers was, that with the right support and funding, there could be a positive outcome for the mill.
Mr Knuth expressed his concern that the $12 million state government package offered around the time of the mill’s potential sale, earlier this year, fell well short.
He also made a comparison of the recently constructed cassowary crossing on the Cassowary Coast which is believed to have cost in the order of $40m, well above the original estimation. His belief is that the money could have been better spent elsewhere, i.e. in Mossman.
With careful planning, plus funding from both state and federal governments and also by tapping into other areas like bio energy, Mossman’s recent three visitors believe there can be a positive future for the historic mill.
