17 states to get Sugar bank projects – FG

THE Federal Government is working hard to kick start its sugar master plan projects by siting 236,000 land banks in seventeen states  for sugarcane production.

This was disclosed during the week by  Dr. Latif Busari, Executive Secretary, National Sugar Develoment Council, Abuja.

In his paper entitled ‘Leveraging on Nigerian Sugar Master Plan for Inclusive Economic Growth’, he said 236 thousand hectares of land is needed to kick off the project and the land banks will be designated in 17 states across the country.

He identified the affected states as follows – zamafara, Katsina, Kwara, Kogi,, Jigawa, Imo and Edo  including Cross River and Benue.  Others states are Taraba , Ogun , Plateau , Ondo , Anambra  and Adamawa.

According to him, the sugar industry is a promoter of Investment, job and wealth creation and a tool for rapid rural development as it create communities that are self sufficient.

citing India as an example, he said that in India the sugar industry employs  one million people directly and six million indirectly, stressing that  is what it will do for Nigeria.

He also said that the federal government will discuss with the states governments to  land available to existing and prospective investors for the project.

The project which has a ten years plan  period is estimated to cost $3. 1 billion  to implement.

The objectives of the project are to raise local sugar production to attain self sufficiency as in the cement sector , stem the tide of importation of raw sugar, contribute to the production of ethanol and generation of electricity.