Sugar primarily comes from two plants: sugarcane and sugar beet.

• Sugarcane is a tropical plant native to regions such as the Indian subcontinent and Southeast Asia. It stores sugar in its stalks as a sweet juice produced through photosynthesis. Sugarcane is grown in tropical and subtropical climates in over 110 countries, including places like Brazil, India, South Africa, the West Indies, and parts of the United States such as Louisiana, Texas, Florida, and Hawaii

• Sugar beet is a root crop that grows best in cooler, temperate climates such as in Europe, the United States, Canada, China, and other countries. Sugar is stored in the beet's root. The beets are harvested, washed, sliced, boiled, and processed to extract and crystallize sugar

Globally, about 80% of sugar is produced from sugarcane and the remaining 20% from sugar beet. Both sources yield chemically identical sucrose, which is the common table sugar

. Historically, sugarcane cultivation and sugar production began in India over two thousand years ago and spread to other parts of Asia, the Middle East, and eventually Europe and the Americas. The word "sugar" is derived from the Sanskrit word śarkarā , meaning ground or candied sugar

. In summary, sugar comes from the juice extracted from sugarcane stalks or the roots of sugar beet plants, which are processed and refined into the sugar used worldwide today.