James Emejo in Abuja
President Muhammadu Buhari, yesterday inaugurated a $73 million- infrastructure intervention project to drive development and accelerate the growth of the sugar sub-sector.
The move was in line with the federal government’s determination to diversify the base of the economy through the formulation of favourable policies, provisions of technical support, creation of a business-friendly environment and provision of incentives to attract more investments into the industry.
The president, at the formal commissioning of the “Presidential Intervention on Irrigation Infrastructure to Accelerate Sugar Backward Integration Programme Projects,” held at the State House, said the goal of the intervention was to support the development of irrigation infrastructure on 10,000 hectares of sugar plantations located at six Backward Integration Programme (BIP) sites.
These included Numan-Adamawa State; Sunti-Niger State; Lafiagi-Kwara State; Bacita-Kwara state; Toto and Tunga-Nasarawa State.
Buhari, who was represented by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, stressed that the objective of the programme was to significantly improve the country’s performance on cane yields as well as reduce the negative impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the industry’s progress in achieving self-sufficiency.
He pointed out that the strategic intervention would also enable the country’s leading sugar producers namely Dangote, BUA and Flour Mills, to expand capacity and capitalise on the import substitution opportunity within the sugar market to further reduce the country’s import bill.
Buhari said: “The implementation structure considered enhancing rural jobs and hence the recommendation that 10 per cent of the total allocation to each BIP operator would be reserved for sugarcane out-grower farmers within the community.
“This is strategic, humane and sustainable in the thought process and I am certain that local communities will find this inclusive which is an effective approach to project implementation.”
However, Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr. Zacch Adedeji, explained that the intervention was part of government’s determination to provide an enabling environment for private investments to thrive and flourish in the country.
He said, “Preliminary activities, including identification of the specific project sites for each operator which include framework for design and engineering services for the in-field and bulk water supply systems, project management and maintenance specifications, adoption of a business model and costing, among others have been concluded long before the formal commissioning of this laudable initiative.”
The Executive Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule who is also the Chairman, Forum of Sugar Producing States, said Nigeria has both the human and natural resources to be among leading sugar producing countries in the world.
He urged all critical players in the sector to wake up and redouble their efforts towards actualising the sugar masterplan.
“We all have to roll up our sleeves and match our words with concrete actions to enable us achieve our desired objectives in the sector,” he added.
