The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) and the United States Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA-FAS) have highlighted Nigeria’s efforts to grow its sugarcane output amid rising global production.
USDA estimates show that global sugar output is projected to reach about 189.32 million tonnes in the 2025/2026 season, up nearly five per cent from 180.75 million tonnes in the previous year.
Against this backdrop, Nigeria is strengthening its domestic sugar base through land expansion, fresh investments and policy reforms under the second phase of the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP II).
Data from the NSDC indicate that Nigeria’s harvested sugarcane area increased from approximately 75,000 hectares in 2020 to about 100,000 hectares by 2025.
Over the same period, raw cane output more than doubled from 1.53 million tonnes to an estimated 3.33 million tonnes, reflecting renewed interest from both government and private investors.
Officials said the expansion represents a structural shift in the country’s sugar industry, primarily driven by the implementation of NSMP Phase Two, which aims to raise domestic sugar production to two million tonnes annually by 2033.
The plan is backed by projected investments of about $3.5 billion across farms, processing mills and supporting infrastructure.
Speaking at the launch of the Sugarcane Outgrower Development Programme, the Executive Secretary of the NSDC, Mr Kamar Bakrin, said the initiative would be central to cutting sugar imports and strengthening rural participation.
He explained that the programme links smallholder farmers directly to large processors, enabling inclusive growth while scaling up local cane supply.
According to the council, about 150,000 hectares nationwide have already been identified for outgrower development, supporting sugar, ethanol, power generation and animal feed production.
The Head of Outgrower Management at the NSDC, Mrs Lade Offurum, said participants will include large agribusiness operators, organised cooperatives and clusters of individual farmers, with stricter performance benchmarks planned for major operators such as Dangote Sugar and BUA Foods.
Several states have emerged as hubs for sugar investment. Niger State has committed nearly 148,000 hectares for sugar development and plans to host six factories by 2027, with projected output of up to 2.5 million tonnes of sugar and 250 million litres of ethanol annually.
In Kwara State, BUA Foods is nearing completion of the Lafiagi Sugar Company, expected to become West Africa’s largest integrated sugar facility.
Dangote Sugar is expanding plantations in Adamawa and Nasarawa, while new projects are also advancing in Bauchi, Taraba and Oyo states.
Despite rising cane production, industrial sugar output remains limited.
Between 2020 and 2025, factory production ranged from about 38,600 tonnes to 105,000 tonnes, with only around 30 per cent of cane processed industrially.
Macroeconomic pressures, including currency depreciation, further affected output in 2023.
Nigeria still imports over 95 per cent of the sugar it consumes, with local production far below the annual demand of about 1.7 million tonnes.
Analysts stated that the success of NSMP Phase Two and faster expansion of processing capacity will be critical to reducing import dependence, stabilising prices and creating jobs across the agricultural value chain.
Source: AgroNigeria
