By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

THE Federal Government has said that the newly launched $73 million sugar sector infrastructure intervention fund will reduce the country’s import bill.

The Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, told State House correspondents that the goal of the intervention was to support the development of irrigation infrastructure on acquired 10,000 hectares of sugar plantations located at six BIP sites.

Recall that President Muhammadu Buhari had last week at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, launched the sugar infrastructure intervention program titled, “Presidential Intervention On Irrigation Infrastructure to Accelerate Sugar Backward Integration Programme Projects”.

President Buhari, who was represented at the ceremony by the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Otunba Adebayo, said that the project would drive development and accelerate growth in the sugar sub-sector.

The sites he disclosed are Numan-Adamawa state; Sunti-Niger state; Lafiagi-Kwara state; Bacita-Kwara state; Toto and Tunga-Nasarawa state.

But Otunba Adebayo has explained that the intervention is aimed at improving the country’s performance on cane yields as well as to reduce the negative impacts of COVID-19 on the industry’s progress in achieving self-sufficiency.

According to him, “This strategic intervention will enable the country’s leading sugar producers; Dangote, BUA, and Flour Mills to expand capacity and capitalize on the import substitution opportunity within the sugar market to further reduce the country’s import bill.

“The implementation structure considered enhancing rural jobs and hence the recommendation that 10% of the total allocation to each BIP operator would be reserved for Sugarcane outgrower 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.”

On his part, the Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council, NSDC, Mr. Zacch Adedeji said the intervention was part of the government’s determination to provide an enabling environment for private investments to thrive and flourish in the country.

“Preliminary activities, including identification of the specific project sites for each operator which include a 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”.

Also speaking, Chairman of Forum of the Sugar Producing States and governor of Nasarawa state, Engr Abdullahi Sule said Nigeria has both the human and natural resources to be among leading sugar-producing countries in the world.

Sule, who is also the governor of Nasarawa state said, “all critical players in the sector must wake up and redouble their efforts. We all have to roll up our sleeves and match our words with concrete actions to enable us to achieve our desired objectives in the sector.”
VANGUARD NEWS NIGERIA