Short answers, pulled from the story.
Saccharum officinarum originated in New Guinea where Papuan people began selective breeding around 6,000 years before present. This specific region serves as the primary center for the plant's original domestication from native Saccharum robustum strains.
Christopher Columbus first brought sugarcane to the Caribbean island of Hispaniola during his second voyage to the Americas. The first recorded harvest occurred on that island in 1501.
Global production of sugarcane reached 1.9 billion tonnes in 2020 with Brazil accounting for 40% of the total. About 70% of global sugar comes from Saccharum officinarum and its complex hybrids.
Sugarcane fields contribute to ecosystem degradation such as the Great Barrier Reef and Indus Delta through sediment washing into waterways. Increased surface runoff leads greater leaching erosion carrying pollutants entering aquatic environments causing eutrophication acidification issues.
At least 20,000 people estimated to have died of chronic kidney disease in Central America over past two decades mostly sugarcane workers along Pacific coast. Working long hours in heat without adequate fluid intake contributes significantly to these fatalities.