From Adanna Nnamani, Abuja
The Minister of State for Industry, Senator John Owan Enoh, has tasked the management of Flour Mills of Nigeria PLC with the need to expand the annual production capacity of its subsidiary, the Golden Sugar Company (GSC), to 300,000 metric tonnes by the year 2030.
The Minister, accompanied by the Executive Secretary of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr Kamar Bakrin, gave the charge when he visited the GSC Complex in Sunti, Niger State.
The visit was the third in a series of strategic inspections of sugar projects across the country, in line with the government’s directive to concerned officials to accelerate Nigeria’s attainment of self-sufficiency in sugar production.
The Minister and the NSDC boss previously visited the Lafiagi Sugar Company (LASUCO), owned by BUA Foods in Lafiagi, Kwara State, on Monday, December 15, 2025, and the Dangote Sugar Refinery (DSR) Complex on Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
In Sunti, the Minister noted that the current local sugar production is far from the 1.8 million metric tonnes the country consumes annually, adding that GSC must contribute 300,000 metric tonnes by 2030.
He expressed being impressed by the volume of activities at the complex, stating that it represents a significant value addition.
“It is a reflection of the implementation of the government’s Backward Integration Programme (BIP). It also demonstrates that there is a business going on; there is an industry with all the elements that you can think about.
“People are gainfully employed. At its peak, I understand this facility has about 4,500 workers. So, the government’s requirement for gainful employment is itself achieved here,” the Minister said.
He continued, “While we can praise this to be an implementation of the BIP, it still falls quite short in terms of what the expectations are of that policy. But I am glad that there is an ambition that by 2030 the annual output is going to increase to 300,000 metric tonnes.”
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to industrialisation and continued support for industrialists, including fiscal incentives and funding efforts.
Also speaking, the NSDC boss acknowledged the significant strides GSC has made but added that there is still a long journey ahead to meet set targets.
“Without a doubt, we consistently acknowledge the very impressive strides that they make. We appreciate the commitment and the creativity they bring to developing projects. At the same time, we are relentless in pointing out numerous opportunities for improvement because we have a very significant journey ahead of us,” Bakrin said.
The Group Chief Executive Officer of GSC, Mr Boye Olusanya, disclosed that the company currently cultivates about 6,600 hectares, producing about 20,000 metric tonnes of sugar annually, with plans to scale up to 290,000 metric tonnes by the end of 2030.
While the delegation undertook a farm and factory tour of the facility, the highlight of the visit was the commissioning of a Sugar Training School built by the GSC within the complex.
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