The sugar industry in Nigeria has failed to meet the domestic sugar consumption demands of the country. The combined production figure of the two major sugar companies at Bacita and Numan stands at less than 1% of the requirement. Inconsistent government policies, uncontrolled sugar imports and the capital-intensive nature of large-scale sugar production could all account for this inadequate production level. The National Cereals Research Institute (NCRI) has developed a 10 tonnes of cane per day (tcd) mini brown sugar plant suitable for cottage level sugar production to complement the large-scale plants' efforts. Outgrower schemes currently operated by the Nigerian Sugar Company, Bacita and the Savannah Sugar Company, Numan are potential sources of the raw materials needed by these cottage industries when established in all the sugar cane-growing communities of Nigeria. Newly opened up farm areas of up to 100,000 ha will also provide canes for the plants. This paper presents some of the problems militating against profitable sugar production by large-scale sugar plants in Nigeria. It also highlights areas of cooperation and support by policy makers and other stakeholders in the sugar industry for increased domestic sugar production. This will facilitate the attainment of domestic sugar self-sufficiency, rural industrialization, social and food security.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.