Sugarcane, one of the most commercial crops of India, provides income to the grower, and employment for numerous farm workers throughout the year. It is a giant member of the family Gramineae. Sugarcane is mainly cultivated in
Maharashtra in the upper Godavari Basin, and
Uttar Pradesh. Sugarcane is also grown in
Kerala.
A main source of sugar, the harvested part is the sugarcane stem containing nodes and internodes, which have sweet sap. The sugar is crystallized out, leaving the liquid molasses. Fresh sugar canes are chewed for the juice. Rum is made from the molasses and the fibrous stalks, called bagasse, are used for paper, fuel or animal feed. Besides this, the by products of the sugar industry are also used in manufacturing hardboard and fertilizers. Sugarcane wax, obtained from filter-cake, is used in the manufacture of shoe polish.
