Nigeria’s sugar imports triple in five years despite self-sufficiency drive
Government renews sugar master plan as production lags, leaving a 97% supply gap in meeting national demand.
NIGERIA – Nigeria’s sugar and sugarcane imports have surged by 328% in the past five years, rising from N516.61 billion (US$336.5M) between 2015 and 2019 to N2.21 trillion (US$1.4b) between 2020 and 2024, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).
The increase comes despite over 15 years of efforts to achieve self-sufficiency through the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP), first introduced in 2010 and renewed in 2020.
Figures from the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) indicate that the country currently produces just 40,000 metric tonnes of sugar annually, far below the estimated 1.7 million tonnes needed each year. This leaves a 97% supply gap, only a marginal improvement from the 98% deficit recorded when the NSMP began.
The plan’s central strategy — a Backward Integration Programme — aimed to eliminate sugar imports by 2020 by requiring importers to invest in local production. Targets included establishing 28 sugar factories, cultivating 250,000 hectares of sugarcane, and attracting significant private investment.
While companies such as Dangote Sugar, BUA Foods, and Flour Mills of Nigeria have entered the sector, domestic output remains low. In 2023, sugar production fell to 30,053 metric tonnes from 46,479 metric tonnes in 2022.
Despite this decline, sugar imports also dropped by 16%, from 1.7 million metric tonnes to 1.4 million metric tonnes.
In response to the slow progress, the federal government has launched Phase II of the NSMP. The NSDC says the new phase targets the production of 2 million tonnes of sugar, generation of 400 megawatts of electricity, and creation of 110,000 jobs. It will require 200,000–250,000 hectares of land and an estimated US$3.5 billion in investment.
NSDC Executive Secretary, Kamar Bakrin, said the government will closely monitor implementation through a performance framework with defined milestones. “This monitoring mechanism ensures accountability and facilitates timely adjustments to optimise outcomes,” he stated.
However, smallholder sugarcane farmers say they have been excluded from government programmes. Many report receiving no financial assistance, training, or access to large-scale buyers. Along the Abuja–Kaduna Road, farmer Musa Uba said he sells to middlemen and hawkers at unstable prices.
He noted that crop diseases, lack of improved seedlings, and absence of insurance continue to affect yields.
The government maintains that Phase II of the NSMP will address these challenges while accelerating progress toward self-sufficiency in sugar production.
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