Ayodeji Ake
Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc (FMN), the pan-African food and agro allied company committed to value creation for all its stakeholders, officially hosted the Minister of State for Industry, Trade and Investment, Senator John Owan Enoh, on Monday at the Sunti Golden Sugar Estate (SGSE).
The visit was a high-level engagement that underscored the Federal Government’s renewed commitment to accelerating Nigeria’s agricultural industrialisation and reducing dependence on sugar imports.
FMN has participated in the National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) and Backward Integration Plan (BIP) since its inception in 2012 through its business entity, Golden Sugar Company situated in Sunti Golden Sugar Estate, Niger State.
Sunti spans about 21,500Ha, with about 3,700Ha area under cultivation.
The Golden Sugar Company in Sunti, which was inaugurated in 2016, has a current production capacity of 600,000 tonnes of cane per season with an expandable capacity of 1,000,000 tonnes of cane per season.
The ministerial visit to Sunti Golden Sugar Estate highlights the Estate’s status as a ‘proof-of-policy’ project, demonstrating that large-scale, private-sector driven agricultural industrialization is achievable and scalable in Nigeria.
Speaking during the tour, the minister commended FMN, and the management of the Sunti Estate for its substantial and sustained investment in the Backward Integration Programme (BIP), following the stipulated policies of the NSMP, describing SGSE as a model for how policy, private enterprise and innovation can align to drive national self-sufficiency.
“Going round the facility, you can see clearly that this is a functioning industry with all the key elements in place; employment, production and value creation. At peak periods, the estate engages up to 4,500 workers, which speaks directly to government’s priority of creating gainful employment. It is impressive to witness the full value chain, from farm to factory demonstrating Nigeria’s capacity for industrial production and self-sufficiency,” the minister stated.
He further emphasised the Federal Government’s commitment to strengthening the sugar value chain through sustained oversight and increased cultivation:
“We will continue with constant monitoring to ensure that the objectives of the Backward Integration Programme are achieved. While progress has been made, we are not yet at full sufficiency as a nation. The key challenge remains expanding the land under sugarcane cultivation.
“Encouragingly, there is clear commitment from operators to scale this up, which will, in turn, maximize processing capacities and move the country closer to meeting its sugar demand. This visit reaffirms government’s strong commitment to industrialization and continued support for investors in this sector,”he added.
The estate has also delivered transformative socio-economic impact across 28 host communities, including road infrastructure, water supply, schools, health services, thousands of jobs, and rural electrification.
Enoh also hailed the achievements as evidence that the NSMP remains an effective policy instrument for attracting investment, boosting domestic production, and enhancing economic diversification.
In his remarks, the Group CEO of FMN, Mr. Boye Olusanya, reaffirmed the company’s commitment to deepening its Backward Integration Programme and supporting the Federal Government’s sugar self-sufficinecy quest.
“Sunti Golden Sugar Estate is a testament to FMN’s unyielding commitment to sustainably feeding and enriching the lives of millions of Nigerians, every day, a commitment the Group has kept for over six decades.
“These achievements are fostered by strong commitment to the tenets of our public -private partnership which provides a mutually beneficial growth environment that fosters sustainable development,” he said.
It is the operations and key strategic imperatives for FMN’s long-term commitment to building sustainable food systems across all its key value chains to propagate food sovereignty for Nigeria and progressively, across the continent.
Other dignitaries present at the event were the Executive Secretary, National Sugar Development Council, Mr. Kamar Bakrin; MD, FMN Agro & Director, Strategic Engagement & General Management Agro Allied, Mr. Sadiq Usman; Managing Director, Plantations GSC, Mr. Anlo Du Pisani; Sunti, as well as eminent sons and daughters of Mokwa LGA where Sunti Golden Sugar Estate is situated.
The minister also launched SGSE’s state-of-the-art training centre designed to upskill, and reskill stakeholders within the community and ensure that all outputs are all in line with global best standards and practices.
The ministerial visit was concluded with a renewed call for collaboration between government and industry players to scale up sugar production, develop local value chains, and reduce the country’s import bill, key pillars of the Federal Government’s economic transformation agenda.
The Sunti Golden Sugar Estate (SGSE) is a 22,500-hectare agro-industrial project in Mokwa, Niger State, Nigeria, under the Golden Sugar Company (GSC) and part of the FMN Brands.
Sunti is one of Nigeria’s first greenfield BIP spanning about 21,500Ha, with about 3,700Ha area under cultivation. The Golden Sugar Company in Sunti, inaugurated in 2016, has a current production capacity of 600,000 tonnes of cane per season with an expandable capacity of 1,000,000 tonnes of cane per season.
Through its Outgrower programme, an integrated, direct and productive response to the Federal Government’s National Sugar Master Plan (NSMP) and BIP agenda, SGSE is proactively at the fore front of driving sugar self-sufficiency in Nigeria.
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