At first glance, growing sugarcane may seem like a very complicated process. But it seems so only at first glance

In this guide we will go through all the stages of growing this crop in the game.

To begin with - the preparation of the field. First, check the following parameters: whether plowing, liming and whether there are stones on the plot. 

Open the map and activate “Soil Composition”. If the field needs lime, use a lime spreader and the corresponding material from the store. Plowing is not always necessary. For sugarcane it depends on the condition of the field. If plowing is indicated, use a plow, subsoiler or spader.

If plowing is not required, a cultivator, disk harrow or milling machine is also suitable. However, keep in mind that stones often appear after tilling, which are either removed with a stone picker or pressed into the ground with a roller. But these can be turned off in the game settings. Look at the items “Periodic plowing”, ‘Stones’ and “Lime”.

Planting sugar cane: features and techniques

Sugar cane requires specialized machinery. Standard planters are not suitable for this. There are two types of sugar cane planters in the “special crops” section. Both models operate at the same speed (7 km/h), but differ in working width and capacity. The choice depends on the size of your fields and the available budget.

The main advantage of reeds is that they are perennial, meaning they only need to be planted once and will grow on their own for a long period of time.

Once harvested, the crop will regrow again without the need to re-plant. This way you will save time and resources in the future.

But, as with other perennial crops, the yields decrease slightly over time. If plowing requirements are ignored, the yield reduction can be significant. In order for sugarcane to grow well, tilling the soil on a regular basis is required.

You can use either regular seeds or specialized sugarcane pallets for planting. It is better to use pallets because they cost less with a larger volume (2,000 liters vs. 1,000 liters for standard seeds).

Don't forget to load solid fertilizer into the planter so you don't waste time with additional cultivation. Many models have built-in features to spray fertilizer at the same time as planting.

If you have seasons turned on, the best time to plant sugarcane is March and April. Then, you can harvest in October and November. If seasonal growth is turned off, you can plant and harvest at any time.

Sugarcane Care

Don't forget to care for the plants to maximize your harvest. Remove weeds and apply fertilizer to the fields.

If you have used a fertilizer drill, you have already received the first layer of fertilizer. But for best results, you need to apply a second layer. This can be done after one game day, when the crop has grown a little. Solid and liquid fertilizers, manure, slurry or digestate (from biogas plants) are suitable.

You can use a sprayer, spreader or hose unit. The main thing is that it must be compatible with the type of fertilizer chosen.

Weeds can be removed mechanically with cultivators/weeders (if the weeds are small or medium-sized) or sprayed with herbicides. The game tells you the size of the weeds in the bottom right corner of the screen. For large weeds, only a sprayer with herbicide will do. If treated correctly, the area on the map where the weeds were growing will turn brown - this means that the weeds have been destroyed.

After making sure that the field has received two layers of fertilizer and is clear of weeds, you can safely wait for the harvest.

Techniques and nuances

Sugar cane is a crop with high yields, and harvesting it requires special machinery. In the basic version of the game, there is one specialized harvester available for cane harvesting. It is quite expensive, but it fully pays for itself thanks to the harvesting volumes and multiple yields without replanting.

The combine does not have its own hopper, so a trailer must be used to collect the cane directly during harvesting. Front pivot axle trailers are best, as they follow the machinery better.



You can hitch the trailer to the combine itself (if the model is equipped with a hitch), or you can work with two people. One drives the combine and the other drives the tractor with the trailer, which drives alongside and picks up the cane.

Just don't turn sharply, otherwise the discharge tube may not react in time and part of the crop will be lost. There is no need to worry about “removing the haulm” - the harvester automatically handles the top part of the plant when harvesting.

After harvesting, the cane will start to grow back - there is no need to replant. However, you may see “Plowing required” on the map. You can ignore it, but if you do, you will have to replant the cane again. It is better to accept a 15% yield loss than to waste resources on a full cycle of preparation.

What to do with your sugarcane harvest

After a successful sugarcane harvest, you are faced with the question - where to put it?

The simple way is direct sale. In the price menu, search for “Sugar Cane” and determine which outlet offers the most favorable price. The cost per 1000 liters is relatively small, but the huge yield compensates for this, as the volume of collection can reach tens of thousands of liters from one field. You can transport the cane with ordinary trailers, just make sure that they support the loading of this crop.

The second way is processing for sugar. For this you will need a Sugar Mill. This mill takes sugar cane and turns it into sugar, which can be sold at a higher price. If you are playing on a map where the mill is already built, you can simply buy it. If not, you can build it yourself through the construction menu.

Storing sugarcane is possible, but there are no specialized storage facilities for this crop in the base game. You can unload it directly onto the ground and then harvest it with a bucket, or use modified storage facilities if you play with mods. The easiest thing to do, however, is to process or sell it immediately after harvesting.

Sugarcane is a crop with high returns and low re-growth costs. Plant it 1 time and it will yield over and over again without replanting. But there is a disadvantage - it requires specialized machinery and a lot of cash investment at the start. But the costs are quickly recouped due to high yields.