Reeds of sweetness by Allen Lockington

Submitted by AllenL on Fri, 26/02/2010 - 7:01am

Sugar was once the backbone of our economy. Our sugar industry is steeped in history. Many good, many not so good, but that’s another story. We are trying to revive the sugar industry. I had mention some time ago that land should go back to those who can plant and have the oomph to carry on.

But a little history that I got from an excellent publication titled “Sugar in Fiji” published by the Sugar Commission of Fiji in 1994, foreword by the Chairman Mr. Gerald W S Barrack. It has a beautiful article on page 5 titled Sugar Cane – Reeds of Sweetness. I also acknowledge Fiji Sugar Corporations website that has the article. I am fascinated with the history of Fiji and hence my desire to share it you you and yes it was through my many readings that I came across this fantastic publication.

And the story goes like this.

Researchers and historians agree that sugar cane had its beginning in the Pacific Islands where it grew 8,000 years ago. From this region it spread through New Guinea into Asia. History says that in 510 BC the Persian Emperor Darious, on a military expedition of the valleys of the Indus, discovered “the reeds which produced honey without the help of bees.” In the fourth century BC, Alexandra the Great, while in his conquest of Asia, discovered sugar cane and introduced the plant to Persia, Arabia, Egypt and the East Coast of Africa. The Egyptians, a highly cultivated society, quickly appreciated the food and energy value of the cane growing in the Middle East but it was their foes, the Moors who really gave Europe their first taste of sugar when they established plantations in Southern Spain. Meanwhile in AD 1300, the traveler Marco Polo in his wondering through China came into contact with Chinese sugar mills. He took the technology back to Venice where by 1470 the Venetians perfected the process for turning cane sugar into crystals – wow. Just imagine we do it with chemical in the present times.

When Christopher Columbus set sail from Spain on his second voyage of discovery, part of his cargo included sugar cane seedlings which responded well to climate and soil in the West Indies. From the island of Santo Domingo, cane growing spread to the rest of the West Indies. Throughout the 17th and 18th century, the West Indies, Cuba and Mexico were the principle source of supply for the worlds sugar demand. Today 60 percent of the world’s sugar is produced from cane.