Sugar cane, Saccharum officinarum (sugar cane), is a grass belonging to the family Poaceae and is widely cultivated, providing around 70% of the world’s sugar. Sugar cane has the highest calorie yield per unit area of cultivation among all plants.
At one time, sugarcane farming was a huge source of income for areas of the Pacific, but it is now more commonly cultivated for bio-fuel in the American and Asian tropics. In Brazil, where sugarcane is the most popular crop, growing sugarcanes is quite profitable since a significant proportion of vehicle and truck fuel is produced from sugarcane plants.
Unfortunately, sugarcane plantations have resulted in significant environmental damage in areas where grasslands and woods now exist. The process of producing sugarcane involves growing over 200 countries that produce 1,324.6 million tons of refined sugar, which is six times more than sugar beet farming. Sugar isn’t the only reason to grow it.
saccharum officinarum is used to produce sugar and ethanol. Sugarcane also produces molasses, rum, soda, and cachaca, all of which are alcoholic beverages in Brazil. Bagasse is the residue of sugarcane pressing after extraction and is used as a source of burnable fuel for heat and electricity.