<P> Sugarcane remains an important part of the economy of Guyana, Belize, Barbados, and Haiti, along with the Dominican Republic, Guadeloupe, Jamaica, and other islands . </P> <P> About 70% of the sugar produced globally comes from S. officinarum and hybrids using this species . </P> <P> Sugarcane cultivation requires a tropical or subtropical climate, with a minimum of 60 cm (24 in) of annual moisture . It is one of the most efficient photosynthesizers in the plant kingdom . It is a C plant, able to convert up to 1% of incident solar energy into biomass . In prime growing regions, such as Mauritius, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Peru, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Guyana, Ecuador, Cuba, El Salvador, Jamaica, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Philippines, Malaysia, Australia and Hawaii, sugarcane crops can produce over 15 kg / m of cane . Once a major crop of the southeastern region of the United States, sugarcane cultivation has declined there in recent decades, and is now primarily confined to Florida, Louisiana, and South Texas . </P> <P> Sugarcane is cultivated in the tropics and subtropics in areas with a plentiful supply of water for a continuous period of more than six to seven months each year, either from natural rainfall or through irrigation . The crop does not tolerate severe frosts . Therefore, most of the world's sugarcane is grown between 22 ° N and 22 ° S, and some up to 33 ° N and 33 ° S. When sugarcane crop is found outside this range, such as the Natal region of South Africa, it is normally due to anomalous climatic conditions in the region, such as warm ocean currents that sweep down the coast . In terms of altitude, sugarcane crop is found up to 1,600 metres or 5,200 feet close to the equator in countries such as Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru . </P>

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