On The Land
28 May, 2026
Growers brace for difficult season
QUEENSLAND's 2026 sugarcane crush officially got underway last week (18 May) with harvesters rumbling into life across the state’s far north.
Tableland crews fired the starter gun on the seven-month harvest, with the first rakes of cane going through the rollers at MSF’s Arriga mill on 18 May.
Tully Sugar was the next cab off the rank, kicking off its crush three weeks earlier than usual on 26 May due to a larger crop.
The remainder of the sector – from Cairns to the Gold Coast – was expected to begin crushing throughout June.
Conditions across growing regions have been generally favourable this season, with around 29 million tonnes expected to be cut and processed by December.
Despite that, 2026 could prove to be one of the most financially and emotionally stressful years in recent memory for Queensland’s cane-farming families, Canegrowers chairman Owen Menkens said.
“It’s not too often that the stars align and we get the holy trinity – good crop, good weather and a good price. Sadly, this year is no different,” Mr Menkens said.
“The crop is looking promising and, so far, conditions in the paddock have been favourable, but the sugar price is really dragging growers down.
“Australian producers are one of the few sugar industries in the world fully exposed to the global sugar price. We’re directly impacted by supply and demand fluctuations and soaring input costs.”
However, it’s not just sugar prices weighing on the sector.
Ongoing fuel supply uncertainty has raised fears growers may struggle to source enough diesel to harvest their cane.
Almost 100 million litres of diesel will be required between now and the end of the year – most of it for harvesting and planting operations and transporting cane to mills.
A Canegrowers member survey conducted in April found growers had less than four million litres of fuel on hand, while one in 10 had tried unsuccessfully to source fuel in recent weeks. Fertiliser availability is equally concerning, with around 130,000 tonnes of urea between now and December.
