SUGAR PRODUCTION

For thousands of years sugar has been an important food ingredient that provides a
balanced sweet taste, safety as a preservative and provides functional properties
essential in a multitude of foods.

slave trade that brought millions of Africans to the Americas beginning in the early 16thcentury

HISTORY OF SUGAR
SUGAR CANE
Man in Polynesia from where it spread to India first uses sugar.
In 510 BC the Emperor Darius of what was then Persia invaded India. The major expansion of the
Arab peoples in the seventh century AD that led to a breaking of the secret about sugar.
They invaded Persia in 642 AD they found sugar cane being grown and learnt how sugar was
made
They established sugar production in other lands that they conquered including North Africa and
Spain
Sugar was only discovered by western Europeans as a result of the Crusades in the 11th Century
AD.
The first sugar was recorded in England in 1099
Many of the medical guides of the 13th through 15th centuries recommend giving sugar to invalids
to bolster their strength
In the 15th century AD, European sugar was mainly refined in Venice
Venice lost its monopoly in 1498, when Vasco da Gama went to India and established trade
The discovery of the Americas that changed the world consumption of sugar. Columbus took
sugar cane plants to grow in the Caribbean Sugar production therefore was closely related to the
Western slave trade.
Later cane sugar was planted in large plantations in other regions in the world (India, Indonesia,
Philippines and the Pacific) for the European and local market.
By 1750 there were 120 sugar refineries operating in Britain. Their combined output was only
30,000 tons per annum.

BEET SUGAR
Sugar beet was first identified as a source of sugar in 1747. No doubt the national and
economical interests in the cane sugar plantations made sure that it stayed as no more than a
curiosity in many European countries. This situation prevailed until the Napoleonic wars at the
start of the 19 th century when Britain blockaded sugar imports to continental Europ . By 1880
sugar beet had replaced sugar cane as the main source of sugar on continental Europe . The
introduction of beet sugar to England was delayed until the First World War when Britain 's sugar
imports were threatened. Previously Britain imported mainly cane sugar from its tropical colonies.
PRODUCTION OF SUGAR
MAJOR SOURCES:
Sugar Cane (6-37 species; 10 tons pe hectare)
Sugar Beet (7 tons per hectare)
SMALL SCALE SOURCES:
Date Palm/ Coconut (fruit/ flower)
Sorghum (20 species; seeds/ stalk)
Sugar Maple (sap)
SUGAR CHEMISTRY

WORLD SUGAR PRODUCTION (1000 metric tons)

WORLD SUGAR CONSUMPTION (1000 metric tons)

SUGAR PRODUCTION IN THE PHILIPINES

Currently, Almost 2.45 million tonnes sugar produced

Late 1700s-1970s- glorious production of sugar

1975 to 1981- started to decrease the sugar production

In 2005, the Philippines is the 9th largest sugar producer in the world and 2nd largest sugar
producer among the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) countries, second
to Thailand, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Statistics
Division.
It is estimated that as of 2012, the industry provides direct employment to 700,000 sugarcane
workers spread across 19 sugar producing provinces.
On annual basis, production of sugar contributes about 69.7 billion pesos to the national GDP
with Value Added Tax (VAT) collection for the sale of refined sugar reaching over 1.92 billion
pesos yearly. Sugar is primarily produced in provinces of Western Visayas and in some parts of
Mindanao and luzon. As of Crop Year 2007-2008, the province of Negros Occidental accounted
for 54% of sugar produced and accounted for 18 billion pesos of Negros' GDP.

There are at least 19 provinces and 11 regions that produce sugarcane in the country. A range
from 360,000 to 390,000 hectares are devoted to sugarcane production. The largest sugarcane
areas are found in Negros which accounts for 51% of sugarcane areas planted. This is followed
by Mindanao which accounts for 20%; Luzon, 17%; Panay islands, 7% and Eastern Visayas, 4%.
As of Crop Year 2012-2013, 29 mills are operational divided as follows: 6 mills in Luzon, 13 mills
in Negros, 4 mills in Panay, 3 mills in Eastern Visayas and 3 mills in Mindanao.
For more info: http://www.philexport.ph/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=8f3ab5f7-ae8a-48f0804b-9d2f47419a6b&groupId=127524
COCONUT SUGAR

Sap from cut flower buds fresh from coconut

Sap yield varies from tree to tree.
Manual Production
Small scale
Low Glycemic Index
Amount of carbohydrate present
35-54 compared to 100-65

REFERENCES

http://www.food-info.net/uk/products/sugar/history.htm
http://www.madehow.com/Volume-1/Sugar.html
http://www.dansukker.co.uk/uk/about-sugar/types-of-sugar.aspx
http://www.mb.com.ph/philippines-sees-higher-sugar-production-in-2014-15-crop-year/
http://www.coconutsugarphilippines.com/
http://www.sra.gov.ph/
http://www.livescience.com/4949-sugar-changed-world.htm