Mill hopes to increase cane production in Gympie region

The Maryborough Sugar Factory (MSF) in southern Queensland wants to increase sugar cane production in the Gympie region by 50 per cent.

The sugar mill is already buying cane from several growers north of Gympie, but wants to expand its supply.

MSF spokesman Chris Coutts-Smith says there is interest from a farmer in the Mary Valley, south of Gympie.

"There's certainly some potential there," he said.

"It's a little bit further away, but we've got one serious starter down that way who will be planting a propagation plot this year and planting that out to a commercial scale over the next couple of years.

"Hopefully that could be the start of something there as well.

"Certainly got some good soils and good irrigation there - so it would be certainly suited to growing cane."

Mr Coutts-Smith says the region has a lot of potential for future growth.

"Our cane supply is spread between Maryborough and Gympie, and at the moment those southern areas closer to Gympie are supplying about 5 per cent of our overall intake every year, which is coming from about 800 hectares," he said.

"We're hoping we'll increase that by 50 per cent - perhaps another 400 hectares and perhaps another half a dozen growers if we can."

Source: ABC News, 18 July 2013