Old World Sources of Production
The sugarcane crop is one of the oldest production plants in the history of mankind and it was first cultivated in New Guinea around 9,000 - 8,000 B.C.E (prior to refinery). The sugarcane grass is a perennial grass of the humid tropics and requires at least 1,000 mm of rain per year, so ideally New Guinea had pristine conditions for growing it. Granulated sugar did not come until quite a while later, after the production of sugar had spread to North India (c. 1000-500 B.C.E.). As advancements in technology and means of producing for the masses advanced through time, the discovery of refined sugar skyrocketed the production and spread of sugar as a commodity.
As sugar became a more widely used product by the upper classes, the need for sugar became more extreme. Refined sugar continued to spread from North India to China (c. 200 AD), Persia (c. 500 AD), and Egypt (c. 700 AD). After the gradual influence of sugar into the upper classes of these countries, it spread even more into the Mediterranean countries after about 700 AD where it was first taken as a major export crop and was the basis for many Mediterranean economies. Sugar actually became the influence for the Agricultural Revolution in the Mediterranean during that time.
As sugar became a more widely used product by the upper classes, the need for sugar became more extreme. Refined sugar continued to spread from North India to China (c. 200 AD), Persia (c. 500 AD), and Egypt (c. 700 AD). After the gradual influence of sugar into the upper classes of these countries, it spread even more into the Mediterranean countries after about 700 AD where it was first taken as a major export crop and was the basis for many Mediterranean economies. Sugar actually became the influence for the Agricultural Revolution in the Mediterranean during that time.
As history progressed sugar became a popular commodity in the middle and lower classes of society, which increased the demand for this product ten fold. The sugar crop was not introduced into the New World until 1493. But when it started to catch on, sugar became one of the major bases for many of the New World economies. Huge plantations were formed and the demand for sugar as a household commodity only increased as history progressed.