THE plant that forms the basis of Mexico’s tequila industry is set to fill the four month downtime experienced annually in MSF Sugar’s cane milling operations.
However, rather being the basis of a new Australian liquor industry, the relatively slow growing blue agave will be used to produce ethanol and well as a range of other bio-refined products from increasing valuable plant fibre.
Speaking at the Rural Press Club in Brisbane, MSF Sugar general manager, business development, Hywel Cook said up to 4000 hectares of the succulent would be grown on land not suitable for cane. Initially 15ha will be planted as a commercial trial.
Once established the hardy crop is expected to be processed in high-tech bio-refineries, similar to what is being constructed by MSF Sugar on the Atherton Tableland.
Under the agreement with Mexico, MSF Sugar will not be manufacturing liquor from the desert plant.
“Now we have an issue where mills are only operated for eight months of the year,” Mr Cook said. “We have the opportunity to take known technology from Mexico and incorporate it into our Queensland operations. It will give farmers access to a new crop and increase the efficiency and profitability of the industry.”
Queensland’s cane harvest typically runs from May and into December.
Mr Cook said blue agave could be grown virtually anywhere there was a distinct wet and dry season. That included each of MSF Sugar’s four supply areas.
Importantly the crop does not require irrigation. However, it is the ability to process the crop that was the crucial to the development of the industry.
MSF Sugar has been redeveloping its long standing sugar milling business into a bio-refining operation focused on what can be commercially produced from plants, rather than being a sugar producer.
Blue agave is slowing growing, taking five years from planting to harvest. However, at harvest the crop produces as much biomass as five cane crops, Mr Cook said.
The Mexican government has ruled that tequila can only be sourced from the eastern state of Jalisco, where blue agave has been grown for about 400 years.
Blue agave plants grow into large succulents, with spiky fleshy leaves, that can reach over 2m.
