ST. MARTINVILLE — After a tour of the Louisiana Sugar Cane Cooperative in St. Martinville on Friday, Gov. Jeff Landry and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins celebrated the recently begun sugar cane season.

Landry and Rollins spoke following the tour of the sugar cane facility located on the northeast bank of the Bayou Teche. The factory produces raw sugar and blackstrap molasses.

"And just seeing the work that is happening here, and this facility has been behind us milling sugarcane for really almost 160 or 170 years since 1860, and it's really, really inspiring to see it firsthand," Rollins said.

Louisiana's sugar cane industry accounts for 17,000 jobs, with a $4 billion economic impact.

Earlier this week, Gov. Landry issued a state of emergency allowing farmers and harvesters, including those who deal in sugar cane, to use dyed diesel fuel they already have on hand amid record-high prices for the fuel. 

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