Nordzucker Post 1/2026 - 22 January 2026

Mackay Sugar successfully completes crushing season

The Australian Nordzucker subsidiary Mackay Sugar successfully completed its sugar cane processing (crushing) in December 2025. Mackay Sugar processed a total of 4.8 million tonnes of sugar cane into sugar and implemented important technological innovations.

In around 188 days, the three factories at Racecourse, Marian and Farleigh processed a total of 4.8 million tonnes of sugar cane – a volume comparable to the previous year, but in a significantly shorter period of time.

The overall harvest was smaller than expected, partly due to rainfall distribution: while annual rainfall was above the 50-year average, rainfall from July to November was significantly below average. This affected the growth and quality of the sugar cane. In addition, the late harvest of sugar cane from the previous year also contributed to the decline in harvest volume. Due to the weather conditions, this sugar cane could not be harvested in the previous crush (2024/2025). In such cases, the sugar cane remains in the field until the next crush. As this year’s harvest was completed in full, this will not be an issue in the coming season.

The successful implementation of an extensive investment programme this year is worth highlighting. The use of modern technologies and process optimisations has made production processes more efficient and sustainable. A further investment package is planned for 2026.