Author: John Tait
COMMENTS:
Week 1:
All four Burdekin mills commenced crushing on the scheduled dates this week, processing just over 164,000 tonnes for week one of the 2023 season.
The dry weather has provided favourable harvesting conditions.
The average weekly CCS was 12.76 which, while above budget, was supressed a little due to the proportion of standover cane being delivered.
The highest CCS sample of 16.5 was from a rake of Q183-P in the Clare productivity district.
The season start has been a good one given the scale of the capital and maintenance program and the compressed timeframe in which it was delivered.
Week 2:
Throughput this week was just under 338,000 tonnes, which again exceeded budget, as the dry weather continues and all four mills settle in to some consistent crushing.
The average weekly CCS increased to 12.89, which reflects the volume of standover cane being delivered.
The highest CCS sample of 17.20 was from a rake of Q183-P in the Clare Productivity district.
Week 3:
Weekly throughput was just shy of 373,000 tonnes, which was above budget due to dry conditions and consistent milling operations.
This brings the total cane processed to date to just over 875,000 tonnes.
The average weekly CCS increased to 13.46, which is a significant increase on the previous week and is reflective of the dry conditions and the reducing proportion of standover in the cane supply.
The highest CCS sample of 16.6 was from a rake of Q240 2R in the Clare Productivity district.
With school holidays in full swing this week, parents and caregivers are urged to remind children about the dangers of playing on or near the cane railway network.
For those travelling on the roads these school holidays, cane rail crossings are active from Bundaberg all the way through to Mossman.
