Sugarcane

Overview

Sugarcane is a crop in Starsand Island grown primarily for its role as the main source of Sugar, one of the eight base cooking ingredients in the game. It is classified as a Junior Farmer crop and requires a Paddy Field to grow. Sugarcane is one of twelve all-season crops, meaning it grows during Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter without interruption.

Harvested Sugarcane can be processed into Sugar at the Separator, and Sugar is required by more than 20 cooking recipes across the Campfire, Gas Stove, Juicer, Oven, and Jam Maker stations. It appears in everything from simple drinks like Blush Dew and Coconut Latte to high-value dishes like Golden Lemonade, Sweet and Sour Pork, and Osmanthus Syrup. Sugarcane can also be used directly (without processing) in the Star Canelight drink recipe.

Because Sugarcane never goes out of season, it is the most reliable year-round source of Sugar. The only other crop that produces Sugar is Beetroot, which is limited to Summer and Autumn. Players who want a constant Sugar supply should keep Sugarcane growing at all times in dedicated Paddy Field rows.

Quick Stats

How to Obtain Seeds

Sugarcane Seeds are purchased from Graminova at the Happiness Seed Shop in Starsand Town for 160 Coins per seed bag. The seeds become available in her inventory once you reach the Junior Farmer tier. If you have not yet completed the Junior Farmer certification, Sugarcane Seeds will not appear in the shop.

Because Sugarcane is an all-season crop, its seeds are sold year-round regardless of the current season. You can stockpile seeds ahead of time without worrying about seasonal availability.

At the Senior Farmer tier, you can build a Grinder station that converts harvested crops back into seeds. This means you can turn some of your Sugarcane harvest into new Sugarcane Seeds instead of buying them from the shop, effectively removing the 160 Coin seed cost from future plantings.

Growing

Sugarcane cannot be planted on regular farmland. It requires a Paddy Field, which is a flooded planting area designed specifically for water-based crops. To create Paddy Field plots on your farm, you need the Powered Hoe tool. The Powered Hoe blueprint can be purchased from the Happiness Seed Shop. Once you have the Powered Hoe, use it on tilled soil to convert standard farmland into a Paddy Field tile.

After planting Sugarcane Seeds, the crop takes 3 days and 12 hours (84 hours of real time) to reach maturity. Growth time starts counting the moment the seed goes into the ground, not on a day-by-day cycle. Water the crop daily for it to grow on schedule. If you skip watering, growth will stall until the next day you water it.

Once mature, harvest the Sugarcane to collect 4 units per plant. Sugarcane is a single-harvest crop. After you pick it, the plant is removed and you must replant from seed. This is different from multi-harvest crops like Pepper or Tomato that regrow on trellises.

You can speed up Sugarcane growth using fertilizers. Ripening Fertilizer I (Apprentice Farmer) instantly advances growth by 8 hours. Ripening Fertilizer II (Junior Farmer) advances by 13 hours, and Ripening Fertilizer III (Intermediate Farmer) advances by 25 hours. Using Ripening Fertilizer III on Sugarcane cuts its growth time by nearly a third.

Placing Bumblebee hives near your Paddy Fields also boosts growth speed. Combined with sprinklers for automatic watering, this makes Sugarcane farming almost entirely passive once your Paddy Field infrastructure is set up.

Other Paddy Field Crops

Sugarcane is one of four crops in the game that require a Paddy Field. The other three are listed below for comparison.

Sugarcane and Rice are the only two all-season Paddy Field crops, making them the go-to choices for year-round water farming. Sugarcane grows significantly faster than Rice (3.5 days vs. 5 days) and costs less per seed (160 vs. 260 Coins), but Rice has far more value as a direct cooking ingredient. Most players grow both side by side in the same Paddy Field area.

Sell Prices

Sugarcane sells for 99 Coins per unit at Zerine's General Store. Since each harvest produces 4 Sugarcane, a single harvest sells for 396 Coins total, resulting in a net profit of 236 Coins after the 160 Coin seed cost.

On a coins-per-day basis, Sugarcane earns approximately 67.4 Coins/day when sold raw. This is a solid return for a Junior Farmer crop, placing it in the mid-range of profitability at its tier. Soybean (also Junior Farmer, same growth time) earns slightly less at 93 Coins per unit, making Sugarcane the higher earner of the two all-season Junior crops.

The Merchant Ship pays 200% of the normal sell price when it docks at Starsand Port, effectively doubling Sugarcane's value to 198 Coins per unit. If you have excess Sugarcane that you do not need for Sugar processing, selling during a Merchant Ship visit is the best option.

However, Sugarcane's true value lies in processing rather than raw sales. Converting Sugarcane into Sugar at the Separator and then using that Sugar in cooking recipes or jam production yields far more profit than selling the raw crop.

Processing Into Sugar

Sugarcane's primary purpose is processing into Sugar, one of the eight base cooking ingredients in Starsand Island. Place harvested Sugarcane into the Separator to produce Sugar. The Separator processes items quickly, making it easy to keep a steady supply.

Sugar is required by more than 20 recipes across multiple cooking stations. It is also one of the two ingredients needed for every batch at the Jam Maker (each batch requires 2 fruit of the same type plus 3 Sugar). Because jam production is one of the most profitable activities in the game, maintaining a constant Sugar supply is critical for players focused on money-making.

The only other crop that produces Sugar at the Separator is Beetroot, which grows only in Summer and Autumn. Since Sugarcane grows in all four seasons, it is the more dependable source of Sugar year-round. Many players keep Beetroot growing during the warm months as a supplement while relying on Sugarcane for the rest of the year.

Recipes Using Sugar and Sugarcane

Sugar appears in a large number of recipes. The following table lists confirmed recipes that require Sugar or raw Sugarcane as a direct ingredient. For the full recipe list, see the Cooking Recipes page.

Recipes Using Sugarcane (Raw)

Recipes Using Sugar (Processed)

The table below lists a selection of popular recipes that use Sugar as an ingredient. This is not exhaustive; Sugar appears in over 20 recipes total.

In addition to these recipes, Sugar is a required ingredient for every Jam Maker batch (2 fruit + 3 Sugar per batch). Jams sell for significant profit and are used as intermediate ingredients in advanced cooking recipes.

Everlasting Sugarcane Seeds

Like all plantable crops, Sugarcane has an Everlasting variant. Everlasting Sugarcane Seeds produce a Sugarcane plant that regrows after each harvest indefinitely, eliminating the need to replant. This turns Sugarcane from a single-harvest crop into a perpetual one, saving both seeds and replanting time.

There are several ways to obtain Everlasting Sugarcane Seeds:

• Eternal Blessings skill: At the Senior Farmer tier, you can upgrade the Eternal Blessings passive skill. This gives every regular harvest a small chance of dropping an Everlasting seed instead of a normal crop. The more you harvest Sugarcane, the more chances you get.

• Mirthshroom Soup buff: Eating Mirthshroom Soup (recipe found in a Moonlit Forest chest) grants a temporary buff that increases the chance of dropping Everlasting seeds when harvesting. This buff stacks with the Eternal Blessings skill for higher odds.

• Islandpedia and quests: Some Everlasting Seeds can be found as rewards from Islandpedia milestones or specific quests. Check the quest board and your Islandpedia progress for any that offer Everlasting Sugarcane Seeds directly.

• Treasure chests: Tilling and untilling soil on your homestead can spawn treasure chests. These chests occasionally contain Everlasting seeds, though most of the time they award Coins instead.

Once you have an Everlasting Sugarcane Seed, plant it on Farmland or in a Paddy Field just like a regular seed. Water it daily and harvest normally. After picking the crop, the plant will remain in the ground and begin its next growth cycle automatically. If you accidentally remove an Everlasting crop, the game refunds the Everlasting seed to your inventory, so you cannot lose it permanently.

Everlasting Sugarcane is particularly valuable because Sugar is consumed in such a wide range of recipes and jam production. Having even a small block of Everlasting Sugarcane plants guarantees a perpetual Sugar supply without any ongoing seed costs.

Tips

• Sugarcane grows in all four seasons, so there is no off-season to worry about. Plant it alongside Rice for a Paddy Field that produces year-round.

• Set up sprinklers near your Paddy Fields to automate daily watering. This is especially helpful because Sugarcane is a single-harvest crop that requires frequent replanting and consistent water.

• Prioritize getting Everlasting Sugarcane Seeds early. The Eternal Blessings skill turns every regular harvest into a lottery ticket for an Everlasting seed, so the more Sugarcane you plant, the sooner you will get one.

• Keep your Separator running constantly to maintain a steady stock of Sugar. Combined with Flour (processed from Wheat), these two ingredients cover a large portion of the recipe book.

• Build multiple Jam Makers and run them in parallel for massive profit. Each batch requires 3 Sugar, so a large Sugarcane farm is essential for scaling jam production.

• The Merchant Ship at Starsand Port pays double the normal selling price for all goods. If you have excess Sugarcane that you do not need for Sugar, sell it when the ship docks for 198 Coins per unit.

• Use the Grinder to convert some of your Sugarcane harvest into new seeds. This saves 160 Coins per seed bag compared to buying from the shop.

• Sugarcane is not the most profitable crop when sold raw, but its value as a Sugar source makes it one of the most important crops in the game. Focus on processing rather than direct sales for maximum return.

Related Articles

• All Crops

• Farming

• Paddy Fields, Trellises, and Planting Boxes

• Happiness Seed Shop

• Separator

• Jam Maker

• Cooking Recipes

• Cooking Ingredients

• Everlasting Seeds

• Sprinklers and Irrigation

• Merchant Ship

• Crop Profitability Rankings