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Sugar Industry Economic Impact

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Sugar Industry Economic Impact

Read the story and study the information cards. Then solve the questions to find out how sugar cane production affects people and businesses in a community.

A cane-to-sugar journey

In a warm part of Queensland, Talia's family grows sugar cane. At harvest time, workers cut the cane and trucks carry it to a sugar mill. At the mill, workers turn the cane into raw sugar. Some sugar is sold in Australia, and some is sent to other countries. The money earned helps pay workers and businesses. Workers may spend their wages at a local shop, café or mechanic, supporting other jobs. But a community that depends heavily on sugar can be affected by poor harvests, changing prices or a mill closing.

1.Put the stages in order by writing 1, 2 and 3: ___ Cane is made into sugar at the mill. ___ Cane is grown on a farm. ___ Trucks carry harvested cane to the mill.

2.Which action is an example of an export?

A shop in Queensland sells sugar to a customer nearby.
An Australian company sells sugar to a business in another country.
A farm stores cane before harvest.

Where can the money go?

Imagine a small sugar-growing town. These are made-up examples to help us trace how money can move around a community.

Sugar business pays local worker wages: $600

Workers spend at local businesses: $250

Local business pays its own bills and workers: $180

Money workers keep or spend elsewhere: $350

3.Using the example, how much of the $600 in wages is spent at local businesses?

4.How much of the $600 is not spent at local businesses in this example?

5.A worker buys lunch at a local café with their wages. How might this help someone besides the worker?

6.Match each sugar-industry job to what the person does.

Cane farmer
Truck driver
Mill worker
Shop worker

Carries harvested cane to the mill
Serves customers who may include sugar-industry workers
Helps process cane into sugar
Grows and looks after sugar cane

7.True or false: If a sugar mill buys repairs from a local mechanic, the mechanic's business may benefit from the sugar industry.

TrueFalse

8.The town has a poor cane harvest this year. Choose one possible effect.

The mill may have less cane to process, which could affect some jobs and businesses.
Every business in town will definitely close.
The town will certainly have more sugar to export.

9.Give one reason it could be risky for a town to depend on only one major industry.

10.Imagine a new café opens in a sugar-growing town. Explain one way it could benefit from the sugar industry and one way it could support the town.

11. Draw a simple chain showing how sugar cane production can support a community. Include a farm, a mill, at least one worker and a local business. Add arrows to show how goods or money move.