Agriculture Minister Impressed by Local Sugar Industry

Photo L to R: Chris Connors, CEO of Sunshine Sugar; Kevin Hogan, Member for Page, holding a bowl of locally produced Low GI sugar; David Littleproud, Minister for Agriculture.

Sunshine Sugar welcomed the Federal Agriculture Minister, Mr David Littleproud along with local member for Page, Kevin Hogan, to its Harwood Mill and Refinery this week.

Sunshine Sugar CEO, Mr Chris Connors, hosted the delegation and said; “Mr Littleproud clearly has a good understanding of the Australian agricultural sector. This visit was a great opportunity for us to share our specific industry concerns and plans directly with him; with particular focus on our diversification projects such as Low GI sugar.”

This Low GI sugar is made using the nucane process.  An Australian technology, it applies an algorithm throughout the sugar milling stage to retain naturally occurring and beneficial antioxidants. Low GI sugar is a wholesome sugar that is more slowly digested, absorbed and metabolised – allowing for a lower and slower rise in blood glucose. It is a 100% natural cane sugar that can be used in any food or beverage recipe.

The Agriculture Minister welcomed this innovation and shared his opposition to the introduction of a sugar tax, saying that he supported people’s right to make their own decisions around personal matters such as food and beverage consumption. With a background in agribusiness and politics, Mr Littleproud certainly has the credentials to serve rural and regional Australia. He is passionate in his belief that farmers are too often overlooked as custodians of the land and that more needs to be done to educate the nation about where and how our foods and fibres are made. As a supporter of the decentralisation of some government agencies, he also believes that moving jobs into regional centres is important and that every additional job in a regional area has a noticeable, positive impact on that local economy. 

Mr Littleproud congratulated the Sunshine Sugar team on the development of their new Low-GI sugar and commitment to sustainable practice, and stands ready to support the NSW sugar industry in his role as Minister for Agriculture.