Forest cover declined from 50 percent of the national territory in 1970 to less than 21 percent in 1987. In addition, in Negros island, where massive sugar production has been situated, forest lands decreased from 30 percent of total area in 1980 to 5 percent in 1992. Species Sugar is derived from sucrose, a chemical substance, which is present in all green plants. The most important sources of sucrose are beet and cane. The Philippines produce sugar by cane.
Sugar cane is a perennial giant grass that belongs to the same plant group as maize and sorghum.
The deforestation process in the Philippines has been complex and has involved different causes. Thus, the impact of forest conversion to sugar cane and cane workers upland migration to deforestation is difficult to measure. The deforestation rate of the Philippines now pegged at 25 hectares an hour or 219,000 hectares a year. Experts say the country can expect its forests to be gone in less than 40 years. Cereal based sweeteners are derived traditionally from the wet milling of maize or wheat to produce starch.