Lafia — Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State has said that currently Nigeria consumed about 1.4 to 1.6 metric tonnes of sugar, with 96 per cent imported as raw sugar from Brazil.
The governor added that the 96% imported as raw sugar from Brazil was then refined in the country’s three sugar refineries owned by Dangote, BUA and Golden Penny.
Sule made this known when he hosted a delegation led by the Country Director, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mrs. Dede Ekoue, in the Government House, Lafia.
He said: “Today, Nigeria consumes roughly about 1.4 to 1.6 metric tonnes of sugar. This quantity of sugar, about 96% is imported as raw sugar from Brazil and refined at our three refineries that we have owned by Dangote, BUA and Golden Penny.
His words: “Assuming we are going to do the entire value chain in sugarcane in Nigeria for this 1.6m metric tonnes, you will create employment opportunities for nothing less than 500,000 people”.
The governor, therefore, made a case for the inclusion of sugarcane in the value chain initiative of the iFAD/FG Value Chain Development Programme (VCDP), stressing that such a move would stop importation of raw sugar from Brazil.
The Country Director of IFAD, Dede Ekoue, particularly appreciated Governor Sule for the prompt payment of the counterpart funds for the programme.
According to IFAD: “We know that we attached more than 4,300 farmers. It is not only about producing raw products. It’s also about processing. We have been privileged to visit the processing centre and it is also about ensuring that we promote agriculture in a way that is also sustainable.”
