Nigeria has stepped up efforts to end sugar import dependence as the Federal Government begins nationwide inspections of sugar projects to fast-track local production.
The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, kicked off the inspections at the Lafiagi Sugar Company in Kwara State, in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production.
During the visit, the minister inspected LASUCO’s integrated sugar complex, including the sugar mill, ethanol plant, power and irrigation infrastructure, and over 700 hectares of sugarcane plantations.
The BUA Group-owned facility is designed as a 10,000-tonne-per-day mill, with the capacity to produce up to 220,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar annually when fully operational.
Senator Enoh commended the National Sugar Development Council under its Executive Secretary, Mr. Kamar Bakrin, for driving the Backward Integration Programme, noting visible progress on the project.
He, however, stressed that operators must move beyond plans to full-scale production, emphasizing that rapid expansion of sugarcane cultivation is critical to matching factory capacity.
The minister reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to working with investors, host communities, and traditional institutions to revive the sugar industry, conserve foreign exchange, create jobs, and strengthen Nigeria’s industrial value chain.
