The Niger State Government has secured a landmark deal with the Nigeria Sugar Development Council and Uttham Sucrotech to develop 250,000 hectares of sugarcane fields and establish six sugar/ethanol plants in the state over the next three years.
The agreement was finalized during a side-event at the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
In a statement, Bologi Ibrahim, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor of Niger State, described the agreement as a bold step towards reviving Nigeria’s $2.5 billion sugar industry. This initiative aims to promote rural industrialization and support President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s food security agenda.
Uttham Sucrotech, a consortium of sugar value chain experts from Brazil and India, will play a key role in this project.
As part of the deal, the Niger Farms project will utilize approximately 90,000 hectares along the recently inaugurated Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway. This project is expected to produce 2.5 million metric tonnes of sugar, 250 million litres of ethanol, and generate 300 MW of electricity. Additionally, it will create 100,000 direct jobs and 250,000 indirect jobs, with a projected 750,000 out-growers.
Governor Mohammed Umaru Bago expressed his gratitude to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his unprecedented initiatives for Nigeria’s socio-economic development, including the Sokoto-Badagry Superhighway. He highlighted that the highway’s route through Niger State will open up thousands of hectares of arable land for the sugar project.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Maitama Tuggar, praised Governor Bago for his private sector approach to agricultural development, particularly the creation of Niger Foods and the decision to partner with leading global sugar producers.
Minister of Agriculture, Abba Kyari, remarked that the development of the sugar value chain will also foster a vibrant livestock industry in Niger State, including mixed cropping of sugar with soybeans.
Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Sugar Council, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, noted that Nigeria, Brazil, and India have been collaborating on sugarcane development since the 1960s. He pointed out that Nigeria’s sugar industry is currently facing challenges, cultivating less than 20,000 hectares and producing about 540,000 metric tonnes, which is only three percent of the country’s sugar demand. This is in stark contrast to Brazil and India, which produce 41 million and 36 million metric tonnes, respectively.