AUSTRALIA: Queensland cane growers continue to seek improved assistance package

Sugar farmers in Queensland are appealing to governments at federal and state level to improve the terms of its A$150m (US$82.2m) assistance package. The Queensland Canegrowers organisation, which represents some 6000 farmers, says the rescue deal does not go far enough. Chairman Jim Pedersen is reported by ABC News as saying: “The Government has made it quite clear that price support is not available because of the implications with all the other industries in Australia, certainly that's one section of the package that doesn't give us confidence to move forward in this industry.”

October 11, 2002