By Sam Irwin
American Sugar Cane League
Louisiana is a leading American producer of sugarcane. Sugarcane is a tropical plant that typically has a growing season of 12 months or longer, but our enterprising sugarcane growers and millers have learned how to grow a top crop in just nine. Because we can grow a commercial sugarcane crop in such a short time, we are regarded as “heroes of the sugarcane world” by the international cane community.
What do we make of our sugarcane? The main products are raw sugar and molasses. We make those two products really well and we make a lot of it. In 2023 we produced nearly two million tons of raw sugar and 100 million gallons of molasses. Another product made from sugarcane is rum.