In a bid to capitalize on the Food Security Emergency declared by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration last year, Niger Foods, in collaboration with the Nigeria Sugar Development Council, has taken a significant step to rejuvenate the $2.5 billion Nigerian sugar industry.
This announcement was made by the Special Adviser on Digital Media and Strategy to the Niger State Governor, Abdullberqy Usman Ebbo, via his social media platform, X.
Ebbo stated that the initiative aims to promote food security and rural industrialization, enhance agricultural production, and improve Nigeria’s economy.
He further disclosed that during a side event at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Niger Foods signed an agreement with Uttam Sucrotech a consortium of leading sugar value chain experts from Brazil and India. The partnership involves developing 250,000 hectares of sugarcane fields and establishing six sugar/ethanol plants in Niger State over the next three years.
The project will utilize approximately 90,000 hectares of farmland along the newly flagged-off Sokoto-Lagos Super Highway. It is projected to produce 2.5 million metric tonnes of sugar, 250 million liters of ethanol, and generate 300 megawatts of electricity.
Additionally, it will create 100,000 direct jobs, 250,000 indirect jobs, and benefit 750,000 outgrower participants.
Speaking at the event, the Minister of Foreign Affairs commended the Niger State Government for its private-sector-driven approach to agricultural development and its strategic collaboration with two of the world’s leading sugar-producing nations, Brazil and India. He highlighted the significance of large-scale cultivation expertise from Brazil and the structured small-scale outgrower programs from India.
The Minister of Agriculture and Food Security also pledged the ministry’s support for Niger State’s quest for large-scale, mechanized, and integrated agriculture.
He lauded the strategic integration of research and innovation into the farm development process, emphasizing that the sugar value chain would spur a vibrant livestock industry in Niger State.
Furthermore, the mixed cropping of sugarcane with soybeans is expected to generate substantial foreign exchange earnings.
Governor Mohammed Umar Bago of Niger State expressed gratitude to President Tinubu for this unprecedented socio-economic initiative.
He also highlighted the role of the super highways passing through Niger State, which will unlock 90,000 hectares of arable land for the sugar project.
Recalling Nigeria’s past, the Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Sugar Development Council, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, noted that while Nigeria, Brazil, and India were developing sugarcane culture in the 1960s, the Nigerian sugar industry has since stagnated. Currently, less than 20,000 hectares are cultivated, producing about 540,000 metric tonnes only 3% of the country’s sugar demand compared to Brazil’s 41 million metric tonnes and India’s 36 million metric tonnes.
