Sugarcane

Sugarcane is grown in more than a hundred countries, by independent farmers and agroindustrial firms. While the sugar and rum markets have always been the prime outlets for the crop, it is increasingly the object of interest from pharmaceutical, chemical and energy firms. Farmers will have to satisfy growing, ever more diverse demand. CIRAD and its partners are therefore helping sugarcane value chains evolve and diversify.

The figures for sugarcane

150 million tonnes of sugar produced by industry and by independent producers of all sizes
Annual growth of 1.4% in sugar consumption.
80% of sugar comes from sugarcane, 20% from sugar beet
Over 100 countries grow sugarcane, on a total of 265 000 km2
Main producing countries: Brazil, India, China, Thailand.
1 t of cane = 100 to 150 kg of sugar or 100 litres of fuel ethanol
310 kg of bagasse (the fibrous residue left after crushing) = 130 kwh of electricity

The issues

The sustainability of the supply chain is reliant on maintaining the millions of small-scale producers and the economic equilibrium of sugar mills, and regulating international markets. Demand is growing, particularly for energy use (ethanol, electricity) and the extraction of new molecules from biomass. It is leading producers to clear new areas, at the risk of fragmenting natural landscapes (forests, grasslands) and jeopardizing biodiversity conservation. The challenge is to:

Choose and develop types of products tailored to the various objectives as regards profitability and sustainability (economic, social, technical, environmental, etc.)
Take account of local, regional and global market regulatory mechanisms
Foster and promote the positive impacts of sugarcane on the environment, and minimize the adverse effects
Support the framing of intensive crop practices through good crop practice certification
Use by-products and mill waste (water, vinasse, bagasse, etc.) in plots
Promote new crop management sequences to foster new supply chains (eg high-fibre sugarcane, certified organic supply chains)
Provide public and private partners with guarantees of plant material quality by means of an international quarantine service
Help develop a certified "organic" supply chain.