Sugar cane plantation, northeastern Costa Rica. Sugar cane (Saccharum sp.) is grown widely throughout the tropics. It is used as a source of sugar, molasses, alcoholic beverages and, increasingly as a souce of ethanol for biofuel. Sugar cane is preferable to corn as an ethanol fuel source because it produces significantly more fermentable sugar and the sugar is easier to extract. Many countries, including Costa Rica, are looking to increase their use of sugar cane biofuel.