The Federal Government on Tuesday entered into an agreement with three sugar refining companies for the production of 1.5 million metric tonnes of sugar annually.
The companies are Dangote Sugar, BUA Group and Golden Sugar Company.
The agreement, which was sealed at the headquarters of the National Sugar Development Council in the presence of the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Dr Okechukwu Enelamah, will cover the second phase of the National Sugar Master Plan 2018 to 2023.
Under the pact, eight sugar refining sites, with a total land area of 187 hectares, will be covered based on the Backward Integration Plan of the Federal Government, while 1,550,524 metric tonnes per annum of sugar will be produced.
The number of jobs expected to be created based on the agreement is put at 65,805.
Speaking at the event, Enelamah said the plan would help to increase local sugar production and reduce the nation’s dependence on sugar imports.
He urged the companies to take the agreement seriously as the Federal Government would ensure that the impediments to the operating environment were addressed.
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