CANEGROWERS are being encouraged to participate in a TAFE Queensland course aimed at improving farm profitability.
The new course aims to develop the skills and understanding necessary for growers to make informed decisions about sugar pricing.
Canegrowers chief executive officer Galligan said competition in sugar marketing and the ability to forward price has opened up new opportunities for growers to enhance their profitability.
The Canegrowers organisation has teamed up with TAFE Queensland and the Rural Jobs Skills Alliance to create the course called Pricing Essentials for Cane Growers.
“As an industry entirely exposed to the fluctuations of world sugar prices, we need to be clever to compete,” Mr Galligan said.
As an industry entirely exposed to the fluctuations of world sugar prices, we need to be clever to compete.
– Dan Galligan, Canegrowers
“Canegrowers recognises that the ability of growers to maximise their returns is enhanced by understanding of commodity markets, their own costs of production and capacity to manage business risks.”
The new TAFE course fits neatly into a suite of resources created by Canegrowers.
“The more information and skills they have at hand, the better placed growers are to take opportunities to improve their profitability – something which is critical in times of low world sugar prices as we are seeing now,” Mr Galligan said.
The course will be delivered between February and May in most sugarcane growing regions.
Cane farmers can register their interest online with TAFE Queensland or through a Canegrowers’ office.
This program is subsidised by the Queensland Government.