l". i NATURE as for cane sugar, it should not be forgotten that it is the top crop in the world, in terms of weight, with over 25 million hectares cultivated worldwide. its main uses are : sugar production, ethanol fuel, paper and rum. over the last century andup until today, the emphasis in sugar cane selection has been productivity, to the detriment of its organoleptic qualities, that is the quality of the flavor and bouquet. For this reason, little research has been carried out on different varieties of cane, in terms of the aromatic compounds found in cane juice and rum. in tahiti, certain local producers, who were interested in this, started turning towards the traditional crop in 2014, more than 40 years after industrial cane sugar production had ceased. otahiti cane sugar, found growing in the gardens of people living on the island, has allowed a revival of its past popularity, as several distilleries produce a unique rum, using noble cane, proof of its excellent quality. some of them, such as Mana’o rum, produced since 2014, have already been promoted during international contests, thanks to the incomparable aromatic character. it goes without saying that otahiti cane has a lot going for it and that its production now has a bright future. Plantations can now be found on tahiti in the districts of Paea, Papara, afaahiti, toahotu and Vairao, but also on the neighboring raromatai (leeward society islands), most notably on the island of taha’a, which today has the largest area of sugar plantation, with around 20 ha, as wellas its own distillery. Rebirth and rediscovery the most unlikely of sugar cane plantations can be found on rangiroa, an atoll in the tuamotu islands, sugar cane generally being considered to be a tropical plant, not suited to poor coral soils. crops that grow well there tend to require little water or nutrients, the coconut palm is particularly well suited to the climate. it grows happily on the coral soil where no other plant could germinate ! then there’s the salty air, the blazing heat and brackish groundwater… For a long-time the local populations turned to fishing and coprah, the only major economic activities and the foundation of atoll life. nevertheless, certain rather stubborn and ambitious businessmen placed their money on a project to develop a vineyard on the atoll of rangiroa, 25 years ago now. the bet paid off, as this winery now produces around 40,000 bottles of wine a year, their products receiving prizes in prestigious competitions. rangiroa’s Mana’o rum, for its part, is produced on a 5 000 m² plot, using organic farming methods, the unusual atoll soil adding another layer of aromatic richness to the otahiti cane’s inherent qualities. ange tehahe Marotea Vitrac teiki deV canne ruBanée « Vertes À Bandes PourPre » canne rouge ruBanée « rouge À Bandes Vertes » canne « PourPre. elle serait indigène vArious vArieTies oF sugAr CANe. et d’introduction Polynésienne