Nigeria spent $8.44 billion to import 16.49 million tons of raw sugar into the country in 27 years.
Data sourced from the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) showed that the raw sugar import occurred from 1990 to 2016.
Daily Trust’s analysis showed that sugar import value rose by $250.50 million in the last 27 years, from $265.66 million in 1990 to $516.16 million in 2016.
Analysis further showed that rise in import value over the period was partly driven by rise in import volume over the same period.
Import volume of raw sugar rose by 955,803 tons in 27 years from 603,770 tons in 1990 to 1.59 million tons in 2016.
It was also observed that the consumption of sugar has been on the rise in the last two decades and half.
From 1990 to 2016, total consumption of sugar stood at 16.68 million tons, being about 200,000 tons less than the 16.49 million tons imported into the country within the same period.
Daily Trust observed that consumption, largely due to population explosion in Nigeria, has been on a steady rise unlike production, a development that has kept both import values and volumes on the rise over the period.
Consumption of sugar rose by 914,325 tons in 27 years, from 645,248 in 1990 to 1.56 million in 2016.
Data showed that in 27 years, Nigeria produced 579,766 tons of sugar, being about 16 million tons less than the country’s total consumption within the same period.
Domestic sugar production volumes have been fluctuating within the period reviewed but the 25,000 tons of sugar produced locally in 2016 is 16,478 tons less than the 41,478 tons recorded in 1990.
Rattled by the 2 per cent contribution of the local sugar industry to the country’s total domestic consumption of sugar, the Federal Government in 2008 directed the Nigeria directed the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), to develop a road map for the attainment of self-sufficiency in sugar, a development that led to the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan.
With the implementation of the plan, NSDC estimated that Nigeria’s demand for sugar would breach the 1.7 million metric tonnes (MMT) mark by 2020.
“To be able to satisfy this from domestic production, we will need to establish some 28 sugar factories of varying capacities and bring about 250,000 hectares of land into sugarcane cultivation, over the next 10 years. The bulk of the investment capital will come from private investors,” the council stated.
It scored the implementation of the plan “less than average” at the mid-term review last year, indicating that Nigeria’s quest for sugar sufficiency may be deferred.
