FG Reads Riot Act to Sugar Manufacturers
•Says raw commodity allocation now based on performance not size of refinery
•Aims to attain self-sufficiency by 2033
James Emejo in Abuja
The Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, yesterday said going forward, the annual raw sugar quota allocation to operators would be based on their performances in the outgoing year.
He said operators must henceforth, buckle up, if they are to benefit from the allocation, adding that the, “old order of allocating raw sugar quota based on the size of the refinery has changed based on the approved National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) Phase 2.”
Speaking at an interactive session with journalists, the NSDC boss said the council’s next phase of activities would be anchored on verifiable data and innovation toward a seamless operation.
He added that in line with the expectations of President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians, the country shall in the shortest possible time attain self-sufficiency in sugar production, and subsequently export to countries within the continent.
“As provided by the Phase 2 Plan, we shall tinker a bit with what we had in the past,” he said.
He stressed that the master plan was not about sugar production alone, “we count largely on its ability to take millions of our people out of poverty, develop infrastructure and improve the economic status of communities hosting sugar projects.”
He said, “We are quite optimistic about our projections in the sugar industry. We shall rely heavily on the use of verifiable data and modern technology to drive phase 2 of the master plan.
“The sugar sector holds tremendous opportunity for Nigeria and Nigerians in terms of job creation for our youths, increased revenue, and general economic prosperity for the nation.”
Adedeji said, “I just returned from the 31st edition of the annual International Sugar Organisation conference in London, United Kingdom. This annual event plays host to members of sugar-producing nations where they gather to deliberate on ways to grow the sector as well as share ideas on emerging trends and practices within the industry.
“The central message in this year’s edition was the need to produce sugar where it is consumed. This is a wake-up call to Nigeria and countries within the continent because we are net importers of the commodity.”
The NSDC boss also announced the arrival of two new investors to the sugar industry, assuring that the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Nasarawa State Government and one of the investors as well as another between the Oyo State Government and the second investor would be performed in a fortnight.
He said, “All the necessary policy and technical guidelines have been concluded. These new investors would focus on the field and agricultural aspect of the NSMP which is the engine room of the NSMP.”
He added that the council’s agenda going forward was to focus more on other by-products that can be gotten from sugarcane, stressing that the industry has grown from being a sugar industry to a sugarcane-based industry.
He said, without doubt, the journey to self-sufficiency in sugar production isn’t without some bottlenecks, “but we are as optimistic and upbeat as ever that the council under my watch would put necessary measures in place to ensure that all the lofty economic goals captured in the NSMP are manifestly realised for the overall benefit of Nigerians.”
He further assured Buhari that all players in the sugar industry are willing to match words with action, especially since the implementation of the second phase of the NSMP begins in 2023.
