Sugarcane is an important crop for food and energy production, thanks to its capacity to accumulate high levels of sugar in its stems and its typical high-biomass yield. Africa contributes only 5% to the current global sugarcane production, and 83% of this is in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Compared to the three major cereal crops (maize, rice and wheat), which collectively occupy 41% of the world’s cropland, sugarcane is the highest-yielding crop in tonnage worldwide (1.9 billion tons) while it occupies only 2% of the world’s cropland.

The development of high sugar and biomass-yielding sugarcane is key for improving the value and sustainability of the sugarcane industry in Sub-Saharan Africa. In order to thrive,  higher quality fertilizers with the essential nutrients are required at the growth stage.