Sugarcane is mainly grown in Sindh and Punjab provinces of Pakistan. Sugar mills must be located near sugarcane fields because sugarcane starts losing sugar content after harvesting and must be crushed immediately. It is also bulky and heavy to transport far. Byproducts of sugarcane processing include bagasse, which is used as fuel and to make paper, and molasses, which is used to make various chemicals.

1. Courtesy: Classes X 2007

3. Raw Materials
Sugar is mainly made from sugar cane.
The main areas of sugar-cane
production from Sindh to Punjab are
widely spread. As sugar cane is a
tropical crop, it can’t tolerate frost.
General output
of sugar cane
is 37.5 tonnes
per hectare.
Sugarcane crop

5. Sugar mills have to be located near the
sugarcane fields because:
•sugarcane starts losing its sugar
content as soon as it is harvested. It
needs to be crushed immediately.
•sugarcane is bulky and heavy.
Therefore, its transportation cost is
high.

8. Products and By-products
• Sugarcane is used primarily in the making of
sugar, ghur and other sweet products.
• By-products are:
1. Bagasses: Used to make paper, chipboard,
animal feed and also used as a fuel to produce
electricity to run machinery in sugar mills.
1. Molasses: Are used to produce various types
of acid and ethylene, which can be turned to
packaging plastics.

12. A sugar product
Jaggery (Gur
Making Ghur (Jaggery)

13. By product:Bagasse Packed Sugar

14. Uses of processed sugar
Sugar has many uses:
•As a sweetener: Sugar is added to foods or drinks to
make them taste more pleasant. For example, it
balances the bitterness of coffee and reduces the
tartness of sour fruit.
•As a preservative: Sugar is a natural preservative
that binds water to prevent the growth of micro-
organisms, thereby reducing food spoilage, as in jams
and preservatives.
•As a bulking agent: Sugars gives texture to a variety
of foods, from jams to frozen products.

17. PAPER

21. June 2001/Paper 2/Qs 4
(b)
(i) Describe the distribution of sugar mills in Pakistan [4]
(ii) Explain why sugar mills must be close to area of sugar
cultivation. [2]
(iii) State the inputs required by a processing factory such as a
sugar mill. [6]
(iv) Select a sugar mill at one of the following locations;
Faisalabad Mardan Thatta
Explain how its input needs are satisfied. [6]
(v) At sugar mills the milling season lasts only 160 days. What
problems does this cause and how might they be overcome? [4]

22. November 2002/Paper 2/Qs 3
(a)
For sugar cane,
(i) Name an area which is important for growing it. [1]
(ii) State the natural inputs that enable it to be grown in the are
you have named
in (a) (i). [5]
(iii) Explain why human inputs are very important for its
successful cultivation in Pakistan. [5]
(iv) State three processes necessary for the cultivation of
sugarcane [3]
(v) State the form in which it is taken to the sugar mill. [1]
(b) Explain why sugar mills need to be close to farms growing .
Sugarcane. [3]

23. M/J/06
Q3.b(i)Name the areas of high sugarcane production. [3]
(ii)Why are these areas suitable for the cultivation of
sugarcane? [4]
(iii)What happens to sugarcane from the time it is fully grown
to when sugar juice is extracted? [3]
(iv)Explain why baggases is an important by product of
sugarcane industry. [3]

24. Question Bank(2000-2007)
Q1:Describe the main processes in the sugar
cane industry?
Q2:Name the main locations of sugarcane
production?
Q3:Why are the sugarcane industries near the
fields?
Q4:Describe the problems faced by sugarcane
growing farmers?