Raw sugarcane farming has been projected to generate about N2.5 trillion annually for Nigeria when turned to finished goods.
With overall sugar consumption of 1.5 million tonnes, Nigeria is the largest consumer of sugar in Africa after South Africa, but the industry is still dependent on raw sugar imports.
In a recent statement attested to by African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), Nigeria produces two per cent of its requirement, estimated at 1.7 million tonnes while importing 98 per cent of the commodity, Daily Sun reports.
Despite the Federal Government’s interventions through incentives to create an enabling environment for investors such as zero per cent duty on machinery and spare parts by companies, as well as 10 per cent import duty and 50 per cent levy on imported raw sugar, recent statistics show that Nigeria currently spends N200 billion on importation of sugar and consumes about 1.43 trillion metric tonnes of sugar yearly.
The sugar sub-sector, which is classified as employment spinning sector of the economy, is capable of creating job opportunities for millions of Nigerians and generating income for farmers who are into sugarcane farming.
Recently, the Director of Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr. Hezekiah Kolawole, said that sugarcane can provide an alternative source of electricity in Nigeria, adding that sugarcane has the capacity to generate 411 megawatts of electricity and create 117,000 jobs but regretted the business has been neglected in Nigeria.
“Sugarcane is not only used for the production of sugar and fuel ethanol but can also be used for the generation of electricity and in the production of a host of other derivatives including food preservatives and seasoning, as well as industrial chemicals used in the pharmaceutical, leather and other industries,” he said.
The government should adopt sugarcane as a raw material for the generation of electricity and production of industrial goods, which would have gone a long way in solving the problem of shortage of power supply in the country.’’
The Coordinator, Agribusiness and Youths Empowerment of Community of Agricultural Stakeholders of Nigeria (CASON)/Managing Director, Universal Quest Limited, Mr. Sotonye Anga, said there is need to commercialise sugarcane production across Nigeria and emulating what other successful sugarcane economies have done.
