Sule: Nigeria Imports 96% of Raw Sugar for Its Refineries from Brazil

Igbawase Ukumba in Lafia

The Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, yesterday said currently, Nigeria consumed about 1.4 to 1.6 metric tons of sugar, with 96 percent imported as raw sugar from Brazil.

The governor added that the 96 percent imported as raw sugar from Brazil is 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 tons of sugar. This quantity of sugar, about 96 percent is imported as raw sugar from Brazil and refined at our three refineries that we have owned by Dangote, BUA and Golden Penny.

“Assuming we are going to do the entire value chain in sugarcane in Nigeria for this 1.6m metric tons, 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 the importation of raw sugar from Brazil.

Citing Kenya as examples of countries where sugarcane value chain was producing excellent results, Governor Sule said Nigeria can tow similar line by encouraging small farmers to produce sugarcane to be taken to the three factories for crushing and sugar production.

“It is something that you can help in order to ginger some of the big companies in order to take it more seriously. The big companies are doing their best doing what they call out-growers’ scheme, but it is very minimal.

“We have the refineries here. If we do the complete value chain, easily, we can have nothing less than half a million people who are working on those farms,” Sule maintained.

The Country Director of IFAD, Dede Ekoue, particularly appreciated Governor Sule for the prompt payment of the counterpart funds for the programme.

He said: “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.

“We have been impressed with the way the women are working on the initiative of waste to wealth, transforming residue from rice production into brickets. That is really important.”