FEC okays 10-year Sugar Master Plan phase 2

The Federal Executive Council (FEC) has approved the second phase of the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan that will operate from 2023 to 2033.

Speaking on the new policy plan, Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Zaack Adedeji, said the 10-year plan is an ambitious and well thought out policy for the sugar sector.

He spoke during an inspection tour to Lafiagi Sugar Company, a subsidiary of BUA Foods Ltd, located in Lafiagi, Kwara State.

He said the visit was to assess the level of work so far done by the company, and discuss the new modalities for reporting progress in line with the NSMP Phase 2 guidelines.

The NSMP with its initial 10 years mandate, would revitalise the sector for Nigeria to attain self-sufficiency in sugar production.

Adedeji said the granting of the NSMP phase 2 by President Muhammadu Buhari is a reconfirmation of the trust and confidence he has in the sector. “This singular act points to the fact that Nigerians are pleased with what the Council, the supervising ministry and operators have been doing with regards to the meaningful revitalisation of the sugar sector. We are quite optimistic that a lot would be achieved in this phase 11 of the NSMP,” he said.

He added that Nigeria will in the shortest possible time, attain self sufficiency in sugar production and export to neighbouring African countries.

“One of the things that we have the mandate to do is to assess what has happened in the last 10 years, what are the lessons that we need to include as we begin a new journey come 2023.

We shall tinker a bit with what we had in the past.

Essentially, our next phase of activities would be anchored on verifiable data and innovation to make our work seamless,” he stated.

While describing the phase 2 of the sugar policy as a welcome development that would offer existing key players in the sector the ample of opportunity of building on what had been achieved in the first 10 years of the implementation of the NSMP, Adedeji stated that both human and material resources would be deployed to meaningfully grow the industry.