Category: Other News

Miscellaneous news

SRA – Strategy for Industry Adoption Activities

Kalagro

SUGAR RESEARCH AUSTRALIA – STRATEGY FOR INDUSTRY LED ADOPTION ACTIVITIES (INDUSTRY ADOPTION STRATEGY)

In 2017 SRA finalised an “Industry Adoption Strategy” which has since seen the appointment of Anthony Curro as Regional Coordinator for the Burdekin Region. This strategy is to be overseen by an Industry Adoption Advisory Committee (IAAC) who will be responsible for identifying priority projects for recommendation to the SRA Board. Regional Adoption Advisory Committees (RAACs) are to be established in each of the six sugar regions and will include grower/miller representation which will replace the previous role of “SRA Delegates” with committee tasked with developing regional specific adoption priorities and strategies. Grower chairman and miller vice chairman of the six RAACs will be a part of the IAAC along with SRA regional coordinator from each region.

This is a chance for growers/members to have direct input into of issues of importance to the industry from a local/regional perspective. SRA regional coordinator, Anthony Curro is now seeking nominations from local growers from various districts within the Burdekin region who are interested in this opportunity.

Please find attached overview of industry adoption & investment strategy process as well as grower information/selection criteria.

Any growers interested in nominating please contact this office and your details will be passed onto Anthony Curro who will then contact growers direct.

Nominations are to be submitted by Friday 19th October.

Regards.

Les Elphinstone

Manger KCGO

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Grower Rep Nomination below:

thumbnail of Grower rep nomination

SRA Variety Guide 2018/19 – Burdekin Region

Kalagro

SRA VARIETY GUIDE 2018/2019 BURDEKIN REGION

The six regional 2018/19 variety guides are now live on the SRA website and can be sourced via the following link.

https://sugarresearch.com.au/growers-and-millers/varieties/

Copy of variety guide for the Burdekin Region is attached for members information

SRA have indicated hard copies will be available in 2019 following completion of Regional Variety Committee (RVC)  meetings.

Les Elphinstone

Manager KCGO

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(click to view full size)

Sugar Terminals Limited Grower Director Candidate

Kalagro

SUGAR TERMINALS LIMITED GROWER DIRECTOR CANDIDATE

Dean Sgroi is a third generation Burdekin cane farmer with more than 25 years’ experience within the industry and has nominated for the upcoming position of grower director. Please refer attached candidate profile for full details. Dean has extended an invitation to members to contact him to discuss his nomination for grower director of Sugar Terminals Limited.

thumbnail of STL Grower Director Candidate – Sgroi

Sugar Terminals Limited Grower Director Candidate

Kalagro

SUGAR TERMINALS LIMITED GROWER DIRECTOR CANDIDATE

Tony Bartolo is a third generation BMP accredited Mackay cane farmer with 23+ years of previous accounting experience and has nominated for the upcoming position of grower director. Please refer attached resume for full details. Tony has extended an invitation to members to contact him to discuss his nomination for grower director of Sugar Terminals Limited.

thumbnail of CV – Tony Bartolo – STL 30-8-18

Rural Financial Counselling Service

Kalagro

Any members who may be facing financial difficulty there is help at hand in the form of Rural Financial Counselling Service which is funded by Federal and State Governments. Further details are provided below as well as link to the relevant web page.

http://www.agriculture.gov.au/ag-farm-food/drought/assistance/rural-financial-counselling-service

Rural Financial Counselling Service (RFCS)

In addition to the recent extension to Farm Household Allowance program to four cumulative years (effective 1 August 2018), the Australian Government has announced further significant changes to the program – with two lump sum supplementary payments worth up to $12,000 for eligible households, changing the assets threshold to allow thousands more farmers to access support and $5 million extra funding to support the Rural Financial Counselling Service.

To find out more call the Rural Financial Counselling Service 1800 686 175 for assistance.

Eligible client groups include farmers, fishing enterprises, forestry growers and harvesters, and small related businesses. There are 12 service providers across Australia that employ rural financial counsellors to assist clients in need. The RFCS is funded by the Australian, State and Northern Territory Governments. It delivers intensive, individualised support to each client without them having to pay.

Australia rural financial counselling service map PDF  [2.0 MB, 1 page]

How can the RFCS help your business

Rural financial counsellors can:

  • help identify your financial and business options
  • help negotiate with your lenders
  • help you develop an action plan
  • help support you to access the Farm Household Allowance (FHA)
  • give you information about government and other assistance schemes
  • refer you to accountants, agricultural advisers and educational services
  • refer you to Department of Human Services and to professionals for succession planning, family mediation and personal, emotional and social counselling.

Rural financial counsellors do not provide family, emotional or social counselling or financial advice—but they can provide referrals and information.

Counsellors provide financial options and support to help farmers make the right decision for their business.

Find a rural financial counsellor

To get the details of your nearest rural financial counsellor, select your state below or phone 1800 686 175.

Contact details

Rural Financial Counselling Service Department of Agriculture and Water Resources GPO Box 858 Canberra ACT 2601 read more

Puma Card – Fuel Card account

Kalagro

ADDED VALUE NOW AVAILABLE TO MEMBERS VIA PUMA ENERGY

KCGO would like to introduce to its member available fuel card account, Pumacard and Pumacard Direct. Full details are in the attached brochure. Please be aware that:

  • Cards attract a monthly fee of $2.50 per card
  • Terms of trade are 21 days from end of month
  • Whilst discounts via retail outlets are available, level of discount (please be aware fuel price will not be the same as current bulk delivery service) will be dependent upon member takeup and  retail litreage.

Should you be interested in facility offered please complete the included application form and return to this office to ensure KCGO membership is captured by PUMA Energy.

thumbnail of Introducing Pumacard brochure 2018

QLD Government Drought Program Review

Kalagro

QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT DROUGHT PROGRAM REVIEW

The Queensland Government has committed to review drought programs in Queensland. An independent two member Expert Panel (Mr Charles Burke and Ms Ruth Wade) has been appointed to conduct the Drought Program Review.

The Expert Panel will be holding regional forums and seeking written submissions from mid-September. Panel will be in Ayr on Wednesday 3rd October with forum to be held at Burdekin Theatre, 161 Queen Street from 11.30am to 1.30pm.

Terms of Reference for Drought Program Review can be viewed/sourced via the following link:

https://www.daf.qld.gov.au/droughtprogramreview/terms-of-reference

Member Notice – AUSTRALIAN SUGAR INDUSTRY ALLIANCE (ASA) INDUSTRY FUNDING PROPOSAL

Kalagro

Member Notice – ASA Industry funding proposal

Dear Member

The Australian Sugar Industry Alliance (ASA) brings together the entirety of the Australian sugar industry to provide a united front on matters of common interest, both on a domestic and international platform. Currently ASA is made up of industry leaders from CANEGROWERS, the Australian Sugar Milling Council (ASMC), Queensland Sugar Limited (QSL) and Sugar Research Australia (SRA).

  • Traditionally funding of ASA activities has been sourced predominantly via QSL during a time it was a single desk marketer. Funding was absorbed by both growers and millers in the form of “being allocated from within the shared pool”. Funds provided previously has been sourced from QSL’s Annual Reports and listed under the category “Research Funding To The Sugar Industry”
  • Financial year ended 30/06/2017     –        $1,079,000
  • Financial year ended 30/06/2016     –           $465,000
  • Financial year ended 30/06/2015     –           $976,000
  • Financial year ended 30/06/2014     –           $720,000

In view of more recent significant changes in the overall structure of the industry in Qld and that QSL is no longer a single desk marketer this avenue of raising ASA industry good funding has ceased. As a result ASA/industry needs to establish a new mechanism for raising funds for industry good initiatives that effect all stakeholders in the sugar supply chain. Previously ASA has approached and Sugar Terminals Limited (STL) has agreed in principle to a collection mechanism by which Industry Good Funds (IGF) could be raised in the form of existing activity charge from its raw sugar storage customers through its Storage and Handling Agreements (SHAs), subject to broad industry wide support via STL customers and all cane grower representative organisations to include BDCG, ACFA and CANEGROWERS.

Industry Good Fund Key Focus Areas include:

  • Social Licence to Operate – Oversight and governance structure for the delivery and reporting against the Sugar Industry Social Licence to Operate Strategy
  • Trade Policy and Market Access – provided coordination and strategic direction for the Trade Policy and Market Access activities for the Australian sugar industry
  • RD&E – provide input and feedback into SRA on key strategic issues.
  • Biosecurity – provide coordinated advice to SRA and government agencies on biosecurity policy matters and response arrangements.

ASA Investment History

Trade & Market Access

  • A total of $1.1m has been expended over 6 years

Nutrition & Health

  • A total of $2.1m has been expended over 4 years

RD & E/Sugar Research Australia

  • A total of $585k over 1 year (2012/2013)

Sugar Nutrition Program is an ongoing and major focus of ASA given:

  1. Sugar landscape deteriorating globally
  • Increase in dietary guidelines eg. WHO ideal of six (6) teaspoons/day
  • Policy discussion on added sugar labelling requirements
  • Over 28 countries introducing Sugar Sweetened Beverage (Soda) Tax
  • Increasing industry reformulation strategies and pledges

2. Obesity increasing globally, including in key Asian markets

  • Sugar tax already introduced in Philippines, and taxes or sugar labelling changes are being discussed in Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong

3. Increasing anti-sugar lobby groups including Obesity Policy Coalition’s tipping the scales

The following proposal has been put forward by ASA to BDCG for the individual collectives members consideration.

  • Raising a proposed charge of 30 cents per tonne of actual sugar that is received into sugar terminals during the crushing season. Funds raised will provide the finances for ASA to continue the industry’s social licence to operate program and its trade and market access program.
  • A working group to include BDCG representation to be formed to develop restructure options for ASA through constitutional changes for implementation prior to the commencement of the 2019 crushing season. The restructure will provide for a new representational base, to include BDCG representation on the ASA board, for the alliance as well as establish governance arrangements for the identification of industry good programs and funding into the future.
  • Offer acknowledges that BDCG’s support to raising proposed funds of $0.30 cents per tonne of actual sugar is conditional upon resolution of the restructure of ASA to BDCG’s satisfaction prior to the 2019 crushing season.  Should this not occur BDCG can withdraw support for STL to its charge and ASA undertakes that it will terminate its arrangements with STL.
  • ASA Agreement with STL to include a termination clause whereby should BDCG (or any other stakeholder) give written notice to ASA and STL of it ceasing to support the charge, then the Agreement will be terminated.

KCGO values the opinions of its members and your input into the proposal put forward by ASA would be appreciated. A combined BDCG growers meeting will be scheduled following season completion to discuss in order to gauge grower interest. read more