The federal government has begun strategic inspections of sugar projects across the country as part of its efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production, reports Blueprint.
As part of the exercise, the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, visited the Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO) in Kwara State. The inspection drive is being carried out in line with the directive of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The LASUCO project, owned by the BUA Group, is designed as a sugar mill with a crushing capacity of 10,000 tonnes of sugarcane per day. Once fully operational, the facility is expected to produce up to 220,000 metric tonnes of refined sugar every year.
During the visit, the minister toured LASUCO’s integrated sugar complex, which includes the sugar mill, ethanol plant, power facilities, irrigation systems and more than 700 hectares of existing sugarcane farms.
The minister said the president had directed him, in coordination with the leadership of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), to ensure that project operators move beyond planning stages and begin full-scale production. While noting the progress made at the Lafiagi facility, he stressed the need to speed up sugarcane cultivation to match the capacity of the factory. He said expanding farmland was essential for the project to reach full operational readiness.
He reaffirmed the federal government’s commitment to working closely with serious investors, traditional institutions and host communities as Nigeria steps up efforts to revive the sugar industry, reduce foreign exchange spending, create jobs and strengthen industrial value chains.
The minister praised the Executive Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of the NSDC, Kamar Bakrin, for his role in guiding and monitoring operators under the Backward Integration Programme.
He said the level of infrastructure development, investment and progress seen at LASUCO showed clear commitment to the goals of the Backward Integration Programme and the country’s drive towards sugar self-sufficiency.
