From Atiku Sarki, Abuja
The Federal Government has intensified efforts to achieve self-sufficiency in sugar production as the Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, inspected the Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO) in Kwara State.
In a statement issued to The Triumph in Abuja, the minister said the visit is part of a strategic series of inspections of sugar projects nationwide, in line with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s directive to accelerate Nigeria’s sugar sector reforms.
During the tour, Enoh visited LASUCO’s integrated sugar complex, which includes the sugar mill, ethanol plant, power infrastructure, irrigation systems, and over 700 hectares of cultivated sugarcane. The facility, owned by the BUA Group, is designed to process 10,000 tonnes of cane per day, with an annual refined sugar output of up to 220,000 metric tonnes when fully operational.
The minister commended the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr. Kamar Bakrin, for motivating and monitoring operators under the Backward Integration Programme (BIP). He noted that the scale of infrastructure and investment at LASUCO demonstrates a tangible commitment to the federal government’s industrialisation objectives.
Senator Enoh stressed the need to accelerate sugarcane cultivation to match the mill’s capacity, urging operators to move decisively from planning to full production.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting serious investors, traditional institutions, and host communities, while emphasising the sector’s role in creating jobs, conserving foreign exchange, and deepening industrial value chains.
