Sugar consumption is rapidly increasing with less sugar available to serve the growing 191 million populations of the 37 states in Nigeria, including the Federal Capital Territory.

According to statistics made available by the National Sugar Development Council, the demand for sugar grew from 442,867 metric tonnes from 1995 to about 1,301,494 metric tonnes in 2005 showing an average annual growth rate of 7% while local production accounted for less than 2%.
The 2015 statistics reveals that 1,499,724 tonnes of sugar was consumed with a low production of 15,000 tonnes and a whooping import index of 1,484,724, at the cost of over $552 million signifying a rise to about 1.5mmt while local production remained unseeded.

This is a great challenge for Nigeria as a developing country as the low sugar production has rendered her underprivileged of benefits derivable from an active sugar sector which is; the annual drain on the nation’s foreign exchange earnings, loss of hundreds of thousands of employment opportunities and food insecurity arising from sugar import dependence.

The statistics increased by the end of 2016 and this encouraged the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) to reemphasize its position to ensure that Nigeria attains at least, 70% self-sufficiency in her sugar requirement within the shortest possible time and even export to earn foreign exchange.

To this end, BUA Group launched a $300 million investment in Kwara State known as the Lafiagi Sugar Company, (LASUCO) in line the Federal Government backward Integration Policy (BIP) to end importation of raw sugar by 2020.

Lafiagi Sugar plantation is another giant step by BUA Group to

source: http://www.getitrightnigerians.com/2017/07/how-bua-group-is-tackling-sugar.html#ixzz4nGej0JPZ

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