Technology Critical in Achieving Self-sufficiency in Sugar Production

Jonathan Eze

The Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Dr. Latif Busari, wants stakeholders in the country’s sugar industry to deploy modern technology in their operations, adding that modern machineries do not only improve outputs, but guarantee an efficient, effective production processes.

Busari who identified technology as the backbone of sugar processing, stressed the need for industry players to make adequate budgetary preparation to procure technologies that would bring about meaningful output at the end of the day.

He stated this at the First NSDC/BMA Sugar Refinery Technology Symposium held in Lagos.

According to him, the Council is committed to providing the required support and cooperation through the formulation of business-friendly regulatory policies for the smooth operations of sugar companies.

Underscoring the importance of the symposium and what participants stand to gain from it, Busari said “This would be the first of many of such events that would expose operators in Nigeria sugar industry to new technologies for field and factory operations; address deficiencies in skills and available manpower in the sector and provide platforms for business relationships that would enhance the capacity of the local sugar industry”.

While assuring all stakeholders of Council’s readiness to provide a level playing ground for them to do business, he equally stressed the need for industry players to redouble their efforts and be faithful to the various agreements they entered into with government.

“We at the Council are interested in growing the sugar industry. Our objectives as a government owned regulatory agency are targeted towards building an all -inclusive sugar sector for the county and other interested parties”.

Speaking further on the need to expose more sugar companies and stakeholders to modern technologies, Busari said that he would try to bring in other technology providers in order to give investors and other participants a range of different production and sugar processing technologies to consider”.

In a presentation at the event, a sugar technology manufacturer, Mr. Landry Maffo Melli, said technology has made sugar business an interesting activity, noting that sugar companies have a lot to gain when they deploy modern sugar technologies in their operations.

The symposium with the theme “Sugar Recovery, Water and Steam Consumption in the Sugar Production Process” had in attendance industry players from both the private and public sectors.