FG Steps Up Drive for Sugar Self-Sufficiency

Reporting By: Oluwakemi Kindness

The Federal Government has intensified efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production, as the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, commenced a nationwide inspection of major sugar projects to accelerate full-scale production.

A statement on Thursday said the inspections, which began with the Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO) in Kwara State, are in line with the directive of President Bola Tinubu for relevant agencies and operators to fast-track Nigeria’s sugar backward integration programme and reduce dependence on imports.

During the visit, the Minister conducted a comprehensive tour of LASUCO’s integrated sugar complex, including its sugar mill, ethanol plant, power and irrigation infrastructure, as well as more than 700 hectares of sugarcane cultivation.

The BUA Group–owned project is designed as a 10,000-tonne cane-per-day mill, with the capacity to produce up to 220,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar annually when fully operational.

Senator Enoh commended the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Kamar Bakrin, for effectively motivating and monitoring operators under the Backward Integration Programme.

He said the level of infrastructure, investment, and progress recorded at LASUCO demonstrates a strong commitment to the programme’s objectives.

The Minister, who was accompanied by the NSDC boss, said President Tinubu has directed that sugar producers move beyond planning stages to full production. While acknowledging progress at the Lafiagi facility, he stressed the need to accelerate sugarcane cultivation to match factory capacity, noting that farm expansion is critical to achieving optimal output.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to sustained engagement with credible investors, traditional institutions, and host communities, as Nigeria intensifies efforts to revitalise the sugar industry, conserve foreign exchange, create jobs, and deepen industrial value chains nationwide.