Arcadia Biosciences, United States Sugar Corporation entered sugar cane deal

Arcadia Biosciences, Inc., an agricultural technology company focused on developing technologies and products that benefit the environment and human health, and the U.S. Sugar Corporation, one of the nation’s largest fully integrated producers of sugarcane and refined cane sugar accounting for approximately 8 percent of all U.S. sugar production, announced that they have signed an agreement to develop Nitrogen Use Efficient (NUE) and Water Efficient (WE) sugarcane. Under the terms of the agreement, U.S. Sugar receives exclusive rights to the use of Arcadia’s NUE and WE technologies in sugar and energy cane in the U.S.

Arcadia’s NUE technology enables crops to maintain high yields while requiring significantly reduced levels of nitrogen. A fairly water-intensive crop, sugarcane will also benefit from WE technology, which protects yields and reduces water resource requirements. The combination of Arcadia’s NUE and WE technologies with U.S. Sugar’s integrated breeding, production and processing enables the development of high-yielding sugarcane that could require about half the amount of nitrogen as conventional sugarcane, offering economic benefits to growers and a measurable positive impact on the environment.

With more than 25 million hectares cultivated globally, sugarcane is the world’s largest sugar crop. Efficient use of nitrogen significantly contributes to higher yields in sugarcane. In some production areas, sugarcane can be among the most nitrogen intensive crops grown.

"Sugarcane is a major global crop that contributes significantly to agricultural economies, food markets and energy markets,” said Eric Rey, president and CEO of Arcadia. "NUE and WE technologies will help improve on-farm economics for sugar cane farmers and benefit the environment through reduced carbon and water footprints for consumer foods and fuels that utilize sugar. U.S. Sugar’s clear leadership position and commitment to innovation and sustainability in sugarcane makes them an ideal partner for us.”

"Integrating Arcadia’s NUE and WE technologies into our sugarcane operations aligns perfectly with U.S. Sugar’s long-term strategy of being the lowest cost and most efficient cane sugar producer and refiner,” said Ken McDuffie, senior vice president, sugarcane operations for U.S. Sugar. “Integrating technology that preserves limited water resources and benefits the environment is also in keeping with our company’s sustainable agricultural practices.