The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has earmarked 150,000 hectares of land for farmers and investors in a strategic push to ramp up Nigeria’s sugar production, cut import dependence, and position the country as a regional hub under the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan II (NSMP II).
NSDC Executive Secretary, Kamar Bakrin, said the land — identified through extensive viability mapping — is located in secure, water-abundant areas with strong community support, close to established sugar estates in Numan, Bacita, Sunti, and Lafiagi.
The scheme will operate through partnerships with medium-scale farmers cultivating between 50 and 200 hectares each. “Nigeria’s $2 billion sugar market remains heavily import-dependent,” Bakrin noted. “We want to empower local producers to capture that market, as well as a $10 billion opportunity in by-products like ethanol, biogas, and animal feed.”
To stimulate investment, the NSDC is rolling out a suite of incentives, including access to the Nigeria Sugar Industry Development Fund, five-year tax holidays, 30% tax credits on infrastructure, duty-free equipment imports, streamlined land acquisition, mechanisation and input support, technical assistance from the Nigerian Sugar Institute, and guaranteed off-take agreements with major processors.
Bakrin stressed that the plan aligns with the federal government’s broader agenda for food and energy security. With Africa projected to face a 13-million-tonne sugar deficit by 2030, Nigeria, he said, has a unique opportunity to bridge the gap, drive exports, and power industries.
“This is more than sugar; it’s about creating jobs, stimulating rural development, and accelerating GDP growth through agriculture-led industrialisation,” he said. “We are unlocking wealth and energising our economy.”
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