The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has unveiled a revised strategy aimed at achieving sugar self-sufficiency, reducing import dependence and saving Nigeria about $2.1 billion in foreign exchange annually.
Executive Secretary of the NSDC, Kamar Bakrin, disclosed this during an interactive session with members of the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja.
Bakrin said the council had completed a comprehensive review of the factors responsible for the long-standing gap between Nigeria’s sugar demand and domestic production and had developed solutions to address each challenge.
According to him, full implementation of the sugar self-sufficiency programme will generate about 110,000 direct and indirect jobs and impact more than one million livelihoods across the sugar value chain.
He said the programme would also stimulate rural economic growth in host communities and contribute to climate change mitigation through lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Nigeria currently consumes about 1.8 million metric tonnes of sugar annually, while more than 97 per cent of local demand is met through refining imported raw sugar. Domestic mills produced only about 27,000 metric tonnes in the last production season.
Bakrin identified four major constraints that had slowed the country’s sugar development programme over the years like unfavourable economics that made imports more attractive than local production, weak accountability mechanisms, difficulties in securing project financing and inadequate agronomic capacity.
He said recent foreign exchange reforms had improved the economics of local production, while the council was strengthening monitoring and verification of investment commitments made by operators.
To improve project bankability, he said the council was working only with credible promoters, ensuring land availability and requiring bankable feasibility studies before projects commence.
On agricultural productivity, Bakrin said the Nigeria Sugar Institute had been repositioned to provide certified seed cane, improved varieties and trained personnel for the industry.
He said the revised strategy focuses on three key areas: improving the performance of existing sugar mills, accelerating expansion plans by incumbent operators and attracting new investors into the sector.
As part of efforts to optimise existing milling capacity, the council’s Sugar Outgrower Development Programme aims to develop 11,000 hectares of farmer-grown sugarcane around existing mills, with 7,000 hectares already identified.
The programme is expected to produce about 818,000 tonnes of sugarcane annually, while off-take agreements with mill operators will guarantee markets for participating farmers.
Bakrin said the initiative could raise sugar production to about 100,000 metric tonnes in the near term, nearly four times the volume produced last season.
He added that the three major operators under the Backward Integration Programme were targeting a combined production capacity of 1.2 million metric tonnes annually, representing roughly two-thirds of Nigeria’s sugar requirement.
According to him, about 85 per cent of the land required for these expansion projects has already been secured, while support measures including improved seedling technology and climate-smart agricultural practices are being deployed.
Bakrin noted that the council is also seeking to attract investments into 10 greenfield sugar projects across the country adding that the council had undertaken institutional reforms to strengthen implementation capacity, including process automation, digitisation and the deployment of artificial intelligence in key operations.
He added that the agency had expanded staff training, improved compensation and aligned performance management systems with the goals of the Nigerian Sugar Master Plan.
On seed development, Bakrin said the council had established 222 hectares of seed cane farms in Kwara, Kano and Oyo states and was developing an additional 122 hectares.
The programme is expected to provide nearly 19,000 tonnes of certified seed cane for the 2026/2027 planting season.
He noted that the adoption of bud-chip technology would significantly reduce nursery land requirements and lower the cost of establishing large-scale sugar estates.
Bakrin also disclosed that the Nigeria Sugar Institute had trained 95 professionals this year, including 80 certified in basic sugarcane agronomy, as part of efforts to address skill gaps in the industry.
He said the reforms were designed to build a sustainable and competitive sugar industry capable of supporting economic growth, job creation and import substitution.
