Learning Objective: To understand how sugar cane is harvested

Sugar Cane Sugar cane is a tall grass native to Southern Asia. It can reach heights of 2m-6m and the stalk can be as thick as 5cms in diameter. It grows mainly in tropical regions where there is plenty of sunshine and a good supply of water provided either by rainfall or by irrigation. Originating in India it is now cultivated in over 90 countries though the main producers are Brazil, India, China, Thailand, Pakistan and Mexico. 80% of the sugar used today comes from cane sugar.

Sugar Cane In developed countries, sugar cane is harvested by machines such as combine harvesters or special machines specifically designed to harvest sugar cane. Traditional methods for harvesting require much more hard work and are still practised around the world.

The Process for Harvesting Sugar Cane

Harvesting Sugar Cane Choose a cutting blade. Before cutting sugar cane, you'll need a blade. Sugar cane is strong, so a sharp cutting blade is necessary to trim the crop. A machete or a hand axe is sharp enough to harvest sugar cane.

Harvesting Sugar Cane Cut the cane close to the ground. Sugar cane must be trimmed close to the ground. You'll want to cut down the entire shoot for harvest. Cut the blade close to the ground. If using a knife or hatchet, you may have to crouch down near the root to cut the sugar cane. Do not make hacking motions when cutting. Gently saw at the sugar cane instead. While you should cut close to the ground, do not cut into the root. Make sure to cut above the ground without sawing into the ground or dirt below the sugar cane plant.

Harvesting Sugar Cane Strip off excess leaves from the shoots. You really only need the green shoot portion of the sugar cane. After cutting down your leaves, you should strip the cane of any excess leaves or other foliage. Sugar cane plants may have small leaves growing off the sides. These should be removed after you harvest the sugar cane. You may be able to remove some leaves with your hands. If leaves are tough to remove, use a blade. It's a good idea to use a smaller blade, like a knife, over a large cutting blade as you'll end up having more control.

Harvesting Sugar Cane Trim down the shoots into manageable chunks. Once you've cut down the shoots and trimmed off excess leaves, you can cut the shoots into manageable chunks. Sugar cane plants are tall, growing up to 10 feet. In order to transport sugar cane, you should saw down the shoots into smaller portions. Cut the cane down into small enough portions that you can transport it with ease.

Harvesting Sugar Cane Dispose of the excess leaves. After harvesting sugar cane, you'll be left with excess leaves from the shoots. In some areas, excess leaves are burned in a controlled fire after harvest. You can also lay the leftover leaves over the roots. This forms a mulch that keeps the roots safe from moisture, prevents soil erosions, and stops weeds from growing over your sugar cane

Harvesting Sugar Cane Make sure the roots are protected. Once you've finished harvesting sugar cane, you want to make sure the leftover roots are protected. This will assure a quality sugar cane crop will grow the following year. You can throw excess leaves over the stumps or add a layer of straw to the ground.

Sugar Cane It takes a lot of work to grow and harvest sugar cane using the traditional methods. Remember Adolphus from the first lesson and imagine what it would be like to harvest sugar cane by hand and transport it on a donkey! That is a tough job! It is great that Fairtrade helps.

Activities Use an atlas to find the top ten sugar cane producing countries and colour and label them on your map. You can create your own colour key to make your map easier to understand. Use the pictures on your sheet to explain the process of harvesting sugar cane. You can write a short explanation for each picture or choose to present it in your own way.