Abstract
The expansion of the sugar industry in Taiwan, China, during the Japanese colonial period was shaped not only by sugarcane varietal improvement and the modernization of sugar manufacturing, but also by changes in agricultural production organization, industrial processing, raw-material circulation, and export-market structures. Focusing on sugarcane improvement and sugar-industry development in Taiwan from 1895 to 1945, this study draws on statistical materials of the Taiwan Government-General, local gazetteers, sugar-industry surveys, regulatory texts, and existing scholarship. By combining historical document analysis, statistical comparison, and institutional analysis, it examines the formation of the colonial sugar value chain and its implications for industrial sustainability and systemic resilience. The study finds that the colonial authorities increased sugarcane yield, sugar recovery rates, and sugar output per unit area through the introduction of Rose Bamboo cane, Java thin-stem varieties, Java large-stem varieties, and locally selected cultivars. Meanwhile, modern sugar mills, irrigation projects, standardized fertilization and land-preparation practices, and the raw-material-zone system incorporated cane farmers, landlords, and sugar companies into a vertically integrated system centered on modern factories. Land surveys, property-right registration, and sugar-industry incentive policies further created institutional conditions for sugar capital to enter the land market and expand large-scale operations. This system improved raw-material stability and export efficiency, but it also intensified varietal concentration, dependence on a single market orientation, and buyer dominance, thereby limiting farmers’ autonomy in crop selection, product marketing, and income negotiation. The historical experience shows that when agricultural modernization depends heavily on specific institutional arrangements and export-oriented markets, output growth does not necessarily lead to a more balanced, stable, and resilient agrifood system.