Do you know? Today Taiwan consumes 500,000 metric tons of refined sugar a year. That's 25 kilos per person.

When you talk about sugar, you have to know about the "most important contributor"--white sugarcane. It is the raw material for sugar, and brother of the red sugarcane which is chewed on as a fruit. Twenty or thirty years ago, when sugar prices were tight, almost two-thirds of Taiwan's foreign exchange relied on sugar exports. Whether or not civil servants could get a raise depended on it. And because its value was high, stealing and eating it would get one sent to the courthouse.

At that time, more than 100,000 hectares of land in Taiwan were planted with sugarcane. This included both the land managed directly by Taiwan Sugar Corporation and contracted land.

"In the past, planting sugarcane made it easy to earn money. It was also guaranteed. So farmers lined up in huge queues hoping to become TSC contract farms," says Chou Chun, assistant manager of TSC's Touliu factory. But now manpower is relatively hard to come by, production costs are high, and the growth period is nearly a year at best; compared to planting rice or flowers, the profits are naturally somewhat lower.

"Now, they have to beg the farmers and take them out to eat to get them to reluctantly plant a little," S.H. Yang of the Extension and Training Center of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute often hears raw material development staffers complaining.

Wu Sheng-hsiung says that in those days one could buy one Chinese peck of rice with six days' wages. Today, one can buy four or five pecks with one day's wage. "But even though wages are high, you still can't find anybody to do it."

Sugarcane can grow to a height of three or four meters. The sugarcane flowers waver in the wind, presenting a lovely sight. Harvest season lasts from every November to April of the following year. But today you don't see people scurrying to and fro--you just hear the sound of the harvester.

TSC farms began machine harvesting as early as 1949. Because of a lack of labor, a fire was set before harvest to burn away the grasses and the leaves. The cane could then be sent to the factory to be pressed within 24 hours. "On the outside of the cane there is a coating; if you get it to the factory quickly, the flavor won't be affected," says Bau Han-ying of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute.

Using the fire could of course save labor. But today the accusation of "polluter" hangs over people, so beginning last year, TSC has ordered the practice stopped. It is now actively promoting ROC 12 type sugarcane, which is suitable for "green leaf harvesting."

After harvest, the cane must be sent to the factory to be pressed. But before pressing, there's a "weigh-in." In the past the factories calculated price according to weight. Afterwards they discovered some cane was not genuine--a month before harvest they would be super fertilized and watered to reach startling weights, but the sugar content wasn't much greater. After that the factories calculated price according to the amount of sugar yielded.

After the "physical" comes the pressing itself. "For most cane, you can make 10 kg. of white granulated sugar out of 100 kg. of cane," says Bau Han-ying.

After the sugar is pressed, the sugarcane is still not completely exhausted. It has two main by-products, molasses and bagasse. The amount of molasses produced is about 3.3 percent of the weight of the sugarcane. It has been discovered that the sugar it contains can be used as raw material for fermenting alcohol.

"Eating yeast often not only encourages child growth, it can reduce high blood pressure and blood sugar among old people," says Chen Yu-tzang, director of public relations at TSC. As for bagasse, it can be used to make bagasse pulp and also to make cane panels for construction. Currently the Pingtung Paper Pulp Factory produces 100,000 tons of the pulp a year for domestic and overseas sales.

With all this about sugar making, we've almost forgotten the familiar red sugarcane that we can see on the street corners. Good-quality red sugarcane should have large, rough stalks, long segments, no signs of insects, and the skin should be a shiny blackish purple color.

In fact, no matter whether chewing on red sugarcane, drinking sugarcane juice, or eating sugar made from white sugarcane, we can readily feel the sweet taste of sugar permeating our hearts. Perhaps that's just a memory, but it's a sweet one.

[Picture Caption]

Superior red sugarcane must have a rough, large stalk, long segments, be free of insects, and have a blackish-purple skin.

White sugarcane is the raw material for making sugar, and a major foreign exchange earner in the past.

In days gone by smokestacks belching black clouds were the trademark of the sugar factory; today no smog is emitted. (photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar R esearch Institute)

Twenty or thirty years ago, farmers used ploughs to dig furrows and a light railroad was built to transport the sugarcane. (photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute)

Planting the cane stalks seedlings. (photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute)

Currently, because manpower is hard to come by the only recourse is mechanized harvesting.

Staffers of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute teach farmers the ins and outs and the technology for planting sugarcane. (photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute)

To raise quality and lower costs, sugar factories have been automating since the 1950's. (photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute)

Harvesting red sugarcane must rely on manpower; do we realize the effort that was needed when we gnaw on that sweet sweet sugarcane?

Superior red sugarcane must have a rough, large stalk, long segments, be free of insects, and have a blackish-purple skin.

In days gone by smokestacks belching black clouds were the trademark of the sugar factory; today no smog is emitted. （photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar R esearch Institute）

In days gone by smokestacks belching black clouds were the trademark of the sugar factory; today no smog is emitted. （photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar R esearch Institute）

Twenty or thirty years ago, farmers used ploughs to dig furrows and a light railroad was built to transport the sugarcane. （photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute）

Planting the cane stalks seedlings. （photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute）

Currently, because manpower is hard to come by the only recourse is mechanized harvesting.

Staffers of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute teach farmers the ins and outs and the technology for planting sugarcane. （photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute）

To raise quality and lower costs, sugar factories have been automating since the 1950's. （photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute）

To raise quality and lower costs, sugar factories have been automating since the 1950's. （photo courtesy of the Taiwan Sugar Research Institute）

Harvesting red sugarcane must rely on manpower; do we realize the effort that was needed when we gnaw on that sweet sweet sugarcane?