General Information
Sugarcane
 Sugarcane
is a tropical grass native to Asia where it has been grown in gardens
for over 4,000 years. It is a giant, robust, sugary plant produced
by interbreeding four species of the Saccharum genus. Methods for
manufacturing sugar from sugarcane were developed in India about
400 BC. Christopher Columbus brought the plant to the West Indies,
and today sugarcane is cultivated in tropical and sub-tropical regions
throughout the world. Over 62% of the world's sugar comes from sugarcane
Currently, sugarcane is planted on approximately 440,000 acres
in the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA), making it the most extensively
grown row crop in Florida. Production is primarily on land along
or near the southern half of Lake Okeechobee. Most of the production
is in Palm Beach County, but sugarcane is also grown in Hendry,
Glades and Martin counties. Eighty percent of the crop is grown
on high organic matter muck soils and 20% is grown on sand. About
50% of the cane sugar produced in the U.S. comes from Florida, which
accounts for about 20% of all sugar consumed (cane and beet) in
the country. The Florida sugar industry employs over 14,000 people
has an annual income over $800 million, and a total economic value
(from direct and indirect effects) of over $2 billion.
For more information see: link to EDIS document
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