FG tasks Dangote Sugar on 600,000 metric tonnes target by 2030

The Federal Government has urged the Dangote Group to expand the annual production capacity of its subsidiary, Dangote Sugar Refinery, to 600,000 metric tonnes by 2030 as part of efforts to boost Nigeria’s sugar self-sufficiency drive.

The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Enoh, gave the charge during a visit to the DSR complex in Numan, Adamawa State, accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council, Mr Kamar Bakrin.

According to a statement made available to PidomNigeria Online on Sunday, the visit formed part of an inspection of sugar projects nationwide in line with President Bola Tinubu’s directive to accelerate Nigeria’s attainment of self-sufficiency in sugar production.

The minister said Nigeria’s current local sugar output falls far short of its annual consumption of about 1.8 million metric tonnes, adding that Dangote Sugar Refinery, as a leading operator in the sector, must contribute significantly to bridging the gap.

“DSR is a very big player in the industry, one of the three major operators. Our circumstances in this sector will continue to depend on what DSR does. It is very important. I mean since coming to this ministry, I found the NSDC Executive Secretary to be hardworking and passionate about sugar sector development. I have seen the commitment he has demonstrated.

“But that is the much he can give, he needs to get the cooperation of everyone to make sure that we achieve the laudable goals of the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP)

“I have lost count of the number of times Mr President has talked about developments in the sugar industry in Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings and other sessions,” he said.

Enoh added that “the 600,000 MT target must be delivered by DSR before 2031.”

He also commended the NSDC for its role in driving and monitoring operators under the sector’s Backward Integration Programme, noting that developments at the company’s facilities reflected strong commitment to the policy.

“The scale of infrastructure, level of investment, and degree of project advancement—especially at the new 6000 TCD plant—observed at DSR reflect a tangible commitment to the objectives of the Backward Integration Programme (BIP),” he said.

The minister further said the Federal Government remained willing to work with operators to remove obstacles hindering increased local sugar production.

“I am indeed very happy with what I have seen today but scaling up production to be able to meet Mr President’s expectations is very important.

“My final comment would be to encourage you, just to let you know that my visit here is to show government’s continuous seriousness and how important government looks at our ability as a country to be self-sufficient in sugar production,” he said.

Speaking to journalists during the visit, Enoh said the NSMP remained central to government’s industrialisation agenda.

“The DSR is not new to government’s Backward Integration Programme (BIP). I can appreciate the entire ecosystem, the community of people, people all work in here, people gainfully employed, there is value addition in terms of harvested cane being processed to refine sugar.

“So, the programme is on course, you know, the only thing is that it needs to be accelerated much more. The NSMP is in its 12th or 13th year. It has expectations and projections in terms of what is supposed to be achieved for a country whose sugar consumption yearly is about 1.8 million metric tonnes. And the fact that Dangote Sugar is at the top among the major operators, so much more is expected from it.

“I mean, there is a commitment on the part of Dangote Sugar to be able to increase its annual production to about 600,000 metric tonnes by 2030 and government is available and ready to work with them in terms of what needs to be done to push them over the line.

“We are aware that there are issues that remain nagging and one of those issues has to do with affordable long term finance, what is called patient capital. We are looking to what extent government can get involved to assist and enable them raise the required capital,” he added.

Vice President of Dangote Group, Mr Olakunle Alake, assured the minister of the company’s commitment to expanding production capacity, saying the 600,000MT target would be achieved by 2030.

During the visit, the minister and NSDC boss inspected the 6000TCD factory expansion site, harvest fields, haulage operations and new field developments.

They also visited the mills, boilers, turbine evaporators, and the sugar bagging warehouse.