Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
Fig. 8.3
Mechanical
harvesting of sugarcane.
(©Diczbalis)
Sugar
The discovery of sugarcane (
Saccharum officinarum
), a tall clumping grass, is
thought to have originated in the tropical regions of the western Pacific (Barnes
1953
; Barlow et al.
1991
). The spread of sugarcane initially occurred to south-
ern China and India and then made its way from Persia (Iraq and Iran) to the
Mediterranean, north Africa and Egypt. Sugarcane reached Spain in the eighth cen-
tury and was widely cultivated in southern Spain during the early twelfth century
(Mangelsdorf
1950
; Sharpe
1998
). Columbus is credited with introducing sugar-
cane to the islands of the West Indies in 1493 where it spread to the southern USA,
and to Central and South America. Brazil is the largest producer of sugarcane with
9.8 Mha in production in 2010 producing 660 Mt (Barros
2010
). The evolution of
sugarcane production is closely linked to slavery and/or indentured cheap labour
due to the requirement for hand planting, cultivation and harvesting. Sugarcane
was first introduced to Australia by the First Fleet in 1788. The first viable cane
production was recorded near Brisbane, Queensland in 1862 and shortly thereafter
indentured labour was imported from the Pacific. A reported 62,500 labourers were
imported over the next 40 years until 1904 when the Commonwealth of Australia
banned the practice (Irvine
2004
). Following the repatriation of indentured workers
from 1906, sugarcane production and processing was carried out by higher paid
Anglo-Celtic and European labour. This resulted in the rapid mechanisation of the
industry with Australian producers leading the development of mechanical harvest-
ing (Griggs
2011
). Sugarcane harvesting is primarily mechanised in the major pro-
ducing countries but still relies on low cost labour in south Asia, India, Central and
South America and the Pacific.
Mechanised cane harvesting has contributed to a substantial reduction in pre-
harvest burning, necessary when hand harvesting sugarcane (Fig.
8.3
). Pre-harvest
burning contributes to air pollution through the emission of particulate matter and
greenhouse gases (França et al.
2012
).
