The Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Commission (NSDC), Zach Adedeji, said that Nigerians consumed 1.5 million metric tons of sugar.
He stated this when he received the Deputy Chief Operation Officer, Agro-Allied Division at the Flour Mills of Nigeria (FMN), Sadiq Usman, in Lagos.
Adedeji noted that the Federal Government was working to ensure the growth of the sugar business and create employment for Nigeria’s brimming youth population.
He also added that the country had a target of 1.7 million metric tons of sugar production by 2024.
He said, “the federal government is committed to implementing the master plan to grow the industry and create employment for our teeming youths.
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“The consumption rate of sugar in Nigeria today is about 1.5 million metric tons and we have a target to produce 1.7 million metric tons at the end of the phase of the master plan which is 2024.”
Speaking on the facility of the FMN, during a tour of the facilities, he said, “I am impressed with what I have seen and I am very sure the same commitment we deployed to put these refineries in place we can now transfer the same to backward integration which requires a lot of capital and massive land among others.”
Also speaking was Usman who said shared plans of the FMN on both of the company’s sites located in Suntai, Taraba State and in Nasarawa State.
He said, “In terms of what our target is under the Backward Integration Programme, we are committed to 250,000 metric ton per annum between our two sites in Suntai and Nasarawa.
“We are also in the process of concluding arrangements to acquire another piece of land.”
