Sugar cane was first domesticated sometime around 8,000 BC. Quickly spreading to Asia and India, the juice was refined into granulated crystals.
By the 6th century AD, sugar cultivation and processing had reached Persia, and was carried throughout the region by the Arab expansion. In 1493, Christopher Columbus brought cane seedlings to the New World.
In the 18th century, a German chemist discovered sucrose in the beet root. Today, sugar beet provides roughly one third of the world's sugar production.
Brazil leads the world in sugar production, with about 35 million tons produced per year, followed by India, China, and the United States. On the exchange, sugar is priced at a per pound rate, with the current price fluctuating around 18¢/lb.
By the 6th century AD, sugar cultivation and processing had reached Persia, and was carried throughout the region by the Arab expansion. In 1493, Christopher Columbus brought cane seedlings to the New World.
In the 18th century, a German chemist discovered sucrose in the beet root. Today, sugar beet provides roughly one third of the world's sugar production.
Brazil leads the world in sugar production, with about 35 million tons produced per year, followed by India, China, and the United States. On the exchange, sugar is priced at a per pound rate, with the current price fluctuating around 18¢/lb.