By Oluwakemi Kindness
Nigeria is targeting 11,000 hectares of sugarcane cultivation around existing mills
This is as the National Sugar Development Council moves to address shortages of planting materials, limited farmer participation and weak agronomic capacity in the sugar industry.
The Executive Secretary of the council, Kamar Bakrin, outlined the measures as part of efforts to increase domestic sugar production and reduce the country’s dependence on imports.
According to figures presented by Bakrin at a news briefing in Abuja at the weekend, the outgrower programme is expected to produce about 818,000 tonnes of sugarcane annually from the targeted 11,000 hectares.
The council has identified 7,000 hectares with partners, while the first 1,320 hectares are expected to be planted by 2027, according to his presentation.
Bakrin said the council is also developing seed cane farms and introducing improved planting technology to increase productivity and improve access to quality planting materials.
The presentation indicated that the council has established 222 hectares of seed cane farms and expected to produce between 18,000 and 19,000 tonnes of certified seed cane for the 2026/2027 season. It is also targeting more than 40 seed farms.
The council’s planting technology initiative is expected to reduce the land needed for seed nurseries from 6,000 hectares to 260 hectares for a 20,000-hectare planting programme, according to the figures in the presentation.
Bakrin identified several factors behind the industry’s poor performance, including the commercial attraction of imported sugar, weak accountability for project commitments, difficulties attracting farmers and shortages of suitable sugarcane varieties and technical expertise.
He said the council is responding through improved monitoring, farmer participation, better planting materials and training. He also stated that 95 professionals received basic training in sugar production and agronomy in 2026.
Nigeria consumes about 1.8 million metric tonnes of sugar annually, while more than 97 per cent of its supply comes from imported raw sugar, according to figures cited in the presentation. Domestic production was put at about 27,000 tonnes in the last season.
Beyond the outgrower programme, the council’s broader plan involves three existing backward integration projects and 10 proposed greenfield projects, with an overall target of producing more than two million metric tonnes of sugar annually.
Barkin also put the estimated investment requirement for the 10-year programme at $7.21bn and projected that it could create 110,000 direct and indirect jobs and affect more than one million livelihoods.
