The Dangote Sugar refinery in Tunga, Nasarawa State, is
expected to produce 450, 000 metric tons of sugar yearly, as well as 90
megawatts of power yearly when completed.
Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule disclosed this at
the Northern region sugar sensitisation workshop organized by the National
Sugar Development Council, in Lafia, on Thursday, December 12.
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He said the Tunga plant will not require more than 45
megawatts to operate while the remaining 45 megawatts is more than enough to
power Lafia, the state capital, Obi, Keana and Awe local government areas.
The Governor used the opportunity to dismiss insinuations
that the Tunga sugar refinery is taking a long time to complete, stressing that
the sugar industry has its inherent challenges for which many people fail to
understand.
Sule pointed out that the Tunga sugar plant is being stalled
as a result of the numerous challenges confronting the sugar industry in
Nigeria, adding that unless some of these challenges are addressed, the sugar
industry will continue to suffer.
The Governor stated further that a fundamental value chain
in the industry is lost due to the constraints on agricultural financing in the
country.
“The masterplan for Tunga sugar plantation started 7 years
ago, but we have not gone more than 7 percent. We are supposed to be at 70
percent by now. And the reason is simple. The challenges are enormous, we are
used to refineries in Nigeria.
“But with the refineries, you lose all the opportunities of
the value chain. You lose the opportunity of the greatest of all, employment
opportunities,” he said.
The Governor equally spoke on the challenges posed by the
land tenure system, which he said, is making it difficult for investors to
acquire land.
“Sugar industry has an excellent formula of what we call out
grower. They can take land from a farmer, and give it back to the farmer and
also guarantee buying of this product so that at the end of the day, it’s the
same sugar industry that is growing,” Engineer Sule said.
He commended the organizers of the workshop for choosing
Nasarawa State as host as it will afford the people the opportunity to
understand more about the sugar industry.
(Source: The Nation)