The Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr. Zacch Adedeji has said that Nigeria needs cane plantation on 250,000 hectares of land to attain self-sufficiency in sugar production.
Adedeji, during a courtesy visit by the management of Abubakar Tafawa Balewa Teaching Hospital yesterday in Abuja, stated that the importation of raw sugar into the country is the aspect drawing back the sector.
He, however, said with the 150,000 hectares of acquired land to be irrigated and grow cane, the sector would meet 50 per cent of what is required in the country.
He added that the four licensed sugar producers in the country refine more than what is consumed in the country annually but it is still seeking new investors in the sector.
“Before the Sugar Master Plan, what normally happens is to import refined sugar into the country. But since 2013, we have stopped the importation of refined sugar. Subsequently, the sugar companies focused on refining, so, the capacity all have doubled, to 3.5m metric tons, our consumption, which means we have enough capacity to export outside Nigeria.
He added that with the Backward Integration Programme serving to guide operators in the sector, the growing of cane in Nigeria is the next direction to enable them to mill it into raw sugar to refine, this, the need to import raw sugar into the country would come to an end.
The Chairman of ATBU’s Governing Board, Abba Lawal, said the visit was to solicit ways the hospital could upgrade to reset ailments Nigerians go abroad to obtain.
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