![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2026\/05\/kayeanddavidw.nuts_18352.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
\u201cI was hoping the war would have been over by now and then by the time the supply chain catches up it might have been okay, but that’s probably not going to be the case.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI’m trying to be optimistic and hopefully that fertilizer will come down to a more reasonable rate.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said sugarcane production relies heavily on three key cost drivers – all currently under pressure.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest cost in sugar farm is harvesting, transport – using diesel to get the crop to the mill to process it, and then fertilizer to grow the crop for next year… and they\u2019re all affected,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe double whammy is if particular farmers had a below average crop this year – with the high cost of growing the next crop, there wouldn’t be a lot in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, farmers at Tweed River Pecans have said local customers and farmers markets are helping keep their business afloat amid ongoing uncertainty affecting wholesale demand.<\/p>\n
Pecan farmer David McNaught said rising costs had added to broader economic anxiety and weakened consumer confidence, causing a drop in wholesale pecan purchases.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re very lucky because we’re being saved by our local farmers markets and our local shops and cafes and stuff who buy our pecans, because the pecan wholesale purchases have collapsed.\u201d<\/p>\n
McNaught said two wholesalers had stopped buying altogether this season, while a third was yet to commit to prices amid fears around weakening consumer demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’re still sitting on the fence, and they say, \u201cWe don’t know what consumer demand is going to be, we don’t know what the future is\u201d,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’re very fortunate that the vast majority of our nuts we\u2019re able to sell locally, and without that, our farm would be in trouble like some other farmers are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rather than risk harvesting produce that could not be sold profitably, the farm has scaled back the amount of nuts picked for wholesale markets.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIf you harvest it and can’t find a market or they’re offering a price below production – you actually lose,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut if we’re leaving them out there, we’re not losing.\u201d<\/p>\n McNaught added that the farm\u2019s organic and regenerative practices had also helped soften the impact of rising input costs, with limited reliance on fertilisers and relatively low fuel use outside harvest periods.<\/p>\n \u201cThe other thing that’s saving us is we’re certified organic and we’re regenerative practices,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don’t buy fertiliser – we might buy a little bit of compost.\u201d<\/p>\n McNaught said local support had become critical to the farm\u2019s survival, with returning customers from across the region and interstate buyers continuing to purchase directly despite economic pressure.<\/p>\n \u201cWe’re lucky in this area, we’ve got a lot of loyal customers who religiously buy our nuts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n McNaught said the hardest pressure during the current economic uncertainty was not just financial, but psychological, affecting people across the wider community.<\/p>\n \u201cI think the hardest thing – it’s not just farming, it’s everywhere – it’s the uncertainty,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s the uncertainty of interest rates, the uncertainty of markets, the uncertainty of what’s going to happen in the Middle East\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n He said confidence now drives spending behaviour across the economy.<\/p>\n \u201cIt comes down to confidence – consumer confidence,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIf people are confident, they’ll spend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIf they’re not, they pull their belt in.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NORTHERN Rivers farmers say rising fuel and fertiliser costs, along with ongoing supply uncertainty, are increasing pressure on agricultural businesses across the region and forcing some to rethink how they operate. Murwillumbah sugarcane grower Greg O\u2019Connor, of Belleuve, said fertiliser and fuel costs are some of the biggest challenges facing cane producers. He said sharp […]<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.timesnewsgroup.com.au\/prod\/uploads\/sites\/30\/2026\/05\/jed-owen-ajZibDGpPew_28548.jpg\")