NSDC Projects 110,000 Jobs From Sugar Development Programme

By Atlantic Reports

The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has projected that its sugar development programme will create 110,000 direct and indirect jobs across Nigeria and support more than one million livelihoods along the sugar value chain.

The council’s Executive Secretary, Mr Kamar Bakrin, outlined the targets at a news conference organised for the Commerce and Industry Correspondents Association of Nigeria in Abuja.

The figures represent anticipated benefits of expanded domestic sugarcane farming and processing, rather than jobs already created.

“When Nigeria grows and processes its own sugarcane, four national priorities move forward together,” Bakrin said.

He identified foreign exchange savings, employment, rural economic development and reduced greenhouse gas emissions as the expected gains.

Outgrower Scheme Targets Farmers Around Mills

Bakrin said the Sugarcane Outgrower Development Programme was targeting 11,000 hectares of farmer-grown sugarcane around existing sugar mills.

At full production, the scheme is expected to supply about 880,000 tonnes of sugarcane annually. This is a sugarcane production target, rather than an estimate of processed sugar output.

According to him, 7,000 hectares have been identified with partners in Kwara, Niger and Adamawa states, while the first 1,320 hectares are scheduled for planting by 2027.

Agreements intended to guarantee markets for participating farmers are still being developed.

Bakrin said the outgrower model would distribute income among participating farmers and expand production around existing processing facilities.

He put the period before harvesting at 12 to 18 months, describing the approach as a faster route to increasing supply than constructing new mills.

For farmers, the proposed market agreements will be central to determining how their harvests are purchased. The briefing did not specify payment terms, pricing arrangements or how participants would be selected.

Seed Farms and Nursery Technology

Bakrin said the council had established about 222 hectares of seedcane farms in Kwara, Kano and Oyo states, with another 122 hectares planned.

Together, the farms are expected to produce nearly 19,000 tonnes of certified seedcane for the 2026–2027 planting season.

He added that the council was developing four nuclear seed farms and supplying clean starter seed stock to outgrowers for multiplication.

Bakrin also highlighted bud-chip technology, which uses individual sugarcane buds to raise planting material, as a means of reducing nursery land requirements and accelerating planting.

According to him, the technology could reduce the nursery area required for a 20,000-hectare estate from about 6,000 hectares to approximately 260 hectares.

He said the council had developed capacity to produce about 30 million seedlings through the method. The figure describes production capacity, rather than seedlings already supplied to farmers.

Training and Delivery

Bakrin said the Nigeria Sugar Institute had trained 95 professionals in 2026, including 80 certified in basic sugarcane agronomy.

Another 15 graduate trainees received practical instruction in field operations and laboratory work, he said.

The council expects the programme to strengthen rural economies through expanded farming, processing and related employment.

However, the briefing did not provide a timeframe or calculation method for the projected 110,000 jobs and one million livelihoods. It also did not disclose the programme’s total funding requirement.

Delivery will depend on converting identified land into productive farms, supplying planting materials and completing market agreements that connect farmers’ harvests to existing mills.

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