Mossman petition gains support as growers prepare to leave industry

As interested investors continue to withdraw, including Clever Power Pty Ltd - which backed out of the deal just before the end of a 15-business day statutory deadline - and grower proposals are dismissed by state government bodies, the region's sugar future seems dire.

Grower Scott Fasano said if the mill couldn't be saved, he would "probably leave town".

"Get a job like other people have to, the mill workers. You've got to transition to grow something else, but I don't know what we would all grow," he said.

Growers trialled other crops including sorghum, maize, peanuts, soy beans, mung beans and chickpeas, to no avail.

"(You're not) going to make a living," Mr Fasano said.

He said one of the biggest impacts from the mill not operating was the loss of employment in the town, as well as the long-term impact on the community and growers.

"It's heartbreaking...the growers in Mossman put in $15m towards growing a crop and to not get any return off that is just devastating financially," he said.

"I don't know how you can describe it. You drive around now and see the cane as big as it is, it's gut-wrenching. You think you're not going to cut a single stick and it's all just going to be standing there, rotting away in the paddock."

The 127-year-old mill's parent company, The Daintree Bio Precinct Group, re-entered liquidation after investor, Clever Power, pulled the plug last month.

The group went into voluntary administration last November but received a lifeline on February 29 when creditors supported a proposal by Clever Power to re-structure and recapitalise the group.

"It gave us a bit of hope that the mill might keep operating for a few more years...(and) transition into a green energy hub...keeping the mill sustainable to go into green energy and renewable fuels," Mr Fasano said.

While premier Steven Miles put forward a $12.1m Mossman Region Transition Program incentive, Mr Fasano said it had not been made clear where and how the money would be spent.

A short-term option, Mr Fasano said, was for growers to get their crops out of the ground and carted to the mills in Mareeba or Mulgrave.

"The idea has been thrown around but with the (cost of) freight (falling on growers)...(and) to get organised in such a short time, (it's going to be difficult)," he said.

While Mossman's crush would normally commence in mid-July, the potential distribution to the two other mills could see the start date brought forward.

"Mareeba starts at the end of May and Mulgrave starts at the end of June," Mr Fasano said.

"Mareeba is almost at capacity. It wouldn't be a long-term, viable option."

Fifth-generation grower Jack Murday said he was "burnt out" after the "roller coaster ride" of the potential liquidation.

"(If the mill isn't saved) I'll probably just walk away from it all. I wouldn't be able to recover," he said.

"I've spent the last five years getting enough capital behind me to lease farms, put that money into fertiliser, planting and spraying - that's my life savings.

"Last year I took on lease farms and if they can't get harvested and I couldn't get any return, I'm back at square one and to be honest, I don't think I'd have much appetite to get back into agriculture."

Another proposal Mr Murday said was put to the state government included the diversification of energy - using the matter left over from crushed cane to produce renewable gas.

"(It could be) used to produce aviation fuel or bio-diesel. (Helmont's) preliminary numbers suggested Mossman could produce 50m litres of bio-diesel fuel each year," he said.

"Helmont's plan was to provide it to the Cape community or the diesel-powered communities around Queensland to power them and essentially be net-zero. They're willing to come in and take equity in the mill and fund the shortfall until we got the bio-refinery up and running.

"They essentially went to the government and said to de-risk the project...and other government departments to commit to buying this bio-diesel as a replacement for conventional diesel."

But as Australia has yet to mandate bio-fuel, the potential to make the mill's sugar and energy revenue "viable" has been squashed.

"We were so close...it's disappointing, especially all the money spent around Queensland for renewable energy," Mr Fasano said.

"Growers were willing to provide $5/tonne levy which would have been $2.5m a year and it would have been paid back to the government for whatever loan they could give...they didn't give us an answer."

Mr Fasano said after Clever Power came on board following the administrator's provision of a three-week extension, they were not permitted funding from the $12.1m program towards rail and factory infrastructure repairs following Cyclone Jasper.

"To have this crop not harvested, after all the costs we put into it, is devastating. It's $40m worth of sugar just sitting in the ground," he said.

Fourth-generation grower Ben McCelland said the liquidation had taken its toll, with a lot of mental and emotional heartache across the community.

"We'll be looking for other jobs...and the land will just return to wreck and ruin," he said.

"We've tried other crops...the government told us we won't have access to any water as well...we're not growing anything else and they don't seem concerned."

Mr McCelland's crops are sitting at 14,000 tonnes this year and his working life, like the lives of other growers, remains in limbo.

"We'll just walk away and let the rats and pigs take over and the government can clean up the mess at the end," he said.

"It's just so disheartening that we've thrown in such good proposals, private investors are willing to put their own money in and all they want is bit of government support, not so much with funding but ...(perhaps) an off-take agreement...we're just getting stonewalled."

A Queensland government spokesperson said the administrator would make "all efforts to get the best outcome" during the process.

"It is recommended growers await the outcome of the liquidation process before making any decisions about their 2024 crop," they said.

"Immediate support is also available for growers, including the Rural Financial Counselling Service, low interest loans, and the Australian Government's Farm Household Allowance. Mental health and wellbeing support is available through Lifeline Farmer to Farmer, the Royal Flying Doctor Service and Rural Aid."

In support of the growers, an e-petition began circulating late last week - gaining over 2600 signatures in just three days.