Research and Development Prospects for Sugarcane and Sugar Industry in Thailand

Abstract

Thailand is an Asian country located in tropics of South-East Asia. Thailand started to produce jaggery and sugar more than 600 years ago and used to import sugar from the Philippines and Indonesia. Thai government has been promoting the Thai sugar industry and has established the first white sugar factory with the capacity of 500-ton cane per day in 1937. During the last decade, Thai sugarcane production has been increased drastically 50% in 2015 compared to year in 2007 from 63.8 to 105.9 million MT. Thailand becomes the second largest sugar exporter. Due to the decrease in world economics growth, increasing human population, climate change, demand for food energy and water including environmental concern are increased. Industrial bio-refineries and/or bio-based industries are focused as one of the possible solutions. Sugarcane and sugar would be one of the main feedstock for those bio-economy growths of Thailand. Molasses, co-products from sugar industry, has also been being used for ethanol production, which promoted as bio-fuel mixed with fossil oil, and bagasse is used as the biomass for the alternative energy. Thai government has the future plan until 2036 to increase the cane production up to 180 Million Ton cane. Thai sugarcane and sugar industry is continuously growing to meet the food and non-food requirements of South-East Asian region.