The NSW sugar industry is putting out a call for truck drivers, in a race to finalise the harvest and crushing of this years’ northern rivers sugarcane crop. Thousands of tonnes of sugarcane remain unharvested due to a shortage of truck drivers.

Sunshine Sugar Chief Executive Officer, Mr Chris Connors said, “The situation is dire. Our farming community has endured so much this year, and now they are worried about the effect a prolonged season will have on the crops that remain in the paddocks unharvested. And of course, an unharvested crop means no income.”

The cane crushing season is scheduled to run into late January following a late start due to the flooding earlier in the year and protracted wet conditions.

“What we need is for qualified Heavy and Multi Vehicle drivers to come on board and help us, help our farmers. With more drivers, we hope to shorten the season by a couple of weeks.”

Whilst a couple of weeks may not seem like much to people outside of the industry, it means a lot to the productivity of cane growers and the efficiency of the local sugar milling operations.

“With the festive season upon us, we’re hoping there are some capable truck drivers out there with capacity to help fill the gap,” remarked Mr Connors.

Anyone out there with the skills and availability are encouraged to contact SCT by calling 0409 568 795.

This article appeared in the Clarence Valley Independent, 21 December 2022.