Menkens Talks Sugar At Home Hill Chamber Meeting

Home Hill Chamber of Commerce President Uli Liessmann alongside director of CANEGROWERS Burdekin Limited and President of the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG), Owen Menkens. Photo supplied

‍

‍

Owen Menkens, director of CANEGROWERS Burdekin Limited and President of the World Association of Beet and Cane Growers (WABCG), said the Burdekin sugar industry is stable with room for growth, speaking to the Home Hill Chamber of Commerce last Wednesday.

The evening’s keynote speaker, Menkens addressed a modest crowd of locals at the Home Hill Community Sports Club, touching on the local sugar industry picture and future forecasts.

He said that while sugar prices are in something of a lull, the situation is not unprecedented. He backed current Burdekin sugar farming infrastructure to weather the storm, calling it “one of the best in the world.”

Menkens said that key to the Burdekin’s sugar farming future would be the next generation, and that CANEGROWERS initiatives targeted at the younger generations have yielded success.

‍

“We’ve done a lot of educational work with future generations,” he said.

“The look on these kids faces… when they see what you can do in the industry and the opportunity, they were just blown away. They couldn’t believe it.”

He remains optimistic of a successful passing of the torch.

‍
“We’re not an ageing industry in the Burdekin,” Menkens said.

“We’ve got a lot of young growers coming into the industry fresh from other districts, and a lot locally coming onto their farms and taking them on.”

‍