Production Regions

Louisiana ranks first in the US in sugarcane acreage harvested and second in production, with 49 % of the US acreage and 43 % of the US production. Including fallow land, 550,000 acres are grown by 804 producers with 400,000 harvested for sugar and 28,000 acres harvested for seed. Thirteen million tons were delivered to the mills from which 1,275 thousand tons of raw sugar were produced in 2012. The cost of production is approximately $460 per acre in direct costs. This varies greatly depending on ownership of the land, whether seed cane is purchased or raised as nursery stock, equipment used, pest management practices and many other factors which reduce or increase the total per acre cost