The Director of Policy, Planning, Research and Statistics of the National Sugar Development Council (NSDC), Mr. Hezekiah Kolawole, has said that sugarcane can provide an alternative source of electricity in Nigeria.
Kolawole said that sugarcane has the capacity to generate 411 megawatts of electricity and create 117, 000 jobs. But he said the business has been neglected in Nigeria.
Kolawole said that sugarcane has the capacity to generate 411 megawatts of electricity and create 117, 000 jobs. But he said the business has been neglected in Nigeria.
He said that the council was doing its best to stimulate interest in sugarcane investment in order to make Nigeria self-sustaining in sugar production, adding: “Nigeria has a very good ecological and weather condition that can support the development of sugarcane plantation in all parts of the country.
“Sugarcane is not only used for the production of sugar and fuel ethanol, but can also be used for the generation of electricity and produce a host of other derivatives such as food preservatives and seasoning, as well as industrial chemicals used in the pharmaceutical, leather and other industries.
“The government should adopt sugarcane as a raw material for the generation of electricity and production of industrial goods which would have gone a long way in solving the problem of shortage of power supply in the county. The sugar sub-sector, which is classified as employment spinning sector of the economy, is capable of creating job opportunities for millions of Nigerians.’’
Daily Trust reports that the country is yet to enjoy the benefits of sugarcane farming as it still produces less than two per cent of the sugar it consumes.
Recent statistics show that Nigeria currently consumes about 1.43 trillion metric tonnes of sugar yearly and spends N200 billion on importation of sugar.
A local farmer in Mahuta area of Kaduna State, Abdullahi Umar, who has been farming for more than 40 years, described sugarcane farming as lucrative, adding that it “brings money quickly more than any other crop.”
The 57 year-old farmer said: “You don’t need to plant again for many years. The only thing you need do is to properly weed the farm and it will continue to grow. Though it is not a food crop, it is a moving cash crop because sugarcane is needed for both domestic and industrial uses.”
Commenting on the profitability of sugarcane farming, he said: “It is a very good and profitable business because through this farm, I have built my house, married and trained my children without going out to beg people for money.’’
He said that sugarcane, which takes only eight months to be ready for harvest, is a crop that one can easily know how much he would get by just counting the strokes.
He lamented that government policies were not favourable to the local farmers, appealing to the government to initiate friendly policies to support local farmers and provide of incentives and implements.
He said: “The government does not care about the local farmer. All it cares about is satisfying people who do not even know what farming is all about. As a local farmer, if the government of the day is able to provide fertiliser for me, that government has solved 80% of my problems because fertiliser is like gold to all farmers.’’
Another sugarcane farmer, Warrant Officer Yakubu Chechet, who retired from the Nigerian Army in 2000 said: “I was into farming even before I joined the Army, so I felt that is the only thing I can fall back on after my retirement, to complement my pension. With farming, I am able to feed my family and take care of their needs.”
He enthused: “Farming is a good and prosperous trade every Nigerian should be engaged in.”
“Sugarcane is not only used for the production of sugar and fuel ethanol, but can also be used for the generation of electricity and produce a host of other derivatives such as food preservatives and seasoning, as well as industrial chemicals used in the pharmaceutical, leather and other industries.
“The government should adopt sugarcane as a raw material for the generation of electricity and production of industrial goods which would have gone a long way in solving the problem of shortage of power supply in the county. The sugar sub-sector, which is classified as employment spinning sector of the economy, is capable of creating job opportunities for millions of Nigerians.’’
Daily Trust reports that the country is yet to enjoy the benefits of sugarcane farming as it still produces less than two per cent of the sugar it consumes.
Recent statistics show that Nigeria currently consumes about 1.43 trillion metric tonnes of sugar yearly and spends N200 billion on importation of sugar.
A local farmer in Mahuta area of Kaduna State, Abdullahi Umar, who has been farming for more than 40 years, described sugarcane farming as lucrative, adding that it “brings money quickly more than any other crop.”
The 57 year-old farmer said: “You don’t need to plant again for many years. The only thing you need do is to properly weed the farm and it will continue to grow. Though it is not a food crop, it is a moving cash crop because sugarcane is needed for both domestic and industrial uses.”
Commenting on the profitability of sugarcane farming, he said: “It is a very good and profitable business because through this farm, I have built my house, married and trained my children without going out to beg people for money.’’
He said that sugarcane, which takes only eight months to be ready for harvest, is a crop that one can easily know how much he would get by just counting the strokes.
He lamented that government policies were not favourable to the local farmers, appealing to the government to initiate friendly policies to support local farmers and provide of incentives and implements.
He said: “The government does not care about the local farmer. All it cares about is satisfying people who do not even know what farming is all about. As a local farmer, if the government of the day is able to provide fertiliser for me, that government has solved 80% of my problems because fertiliser is like gold to all farmers.’’
Another sugarcane farmer, Warrant Officer Yakubu Chechet, who retired from the Nigerian Army in 2000 said: “I was into farming even before I joined the Army, so I felt that is the only thing I can fall back on after my retirement, to complement my pension. With farming, I am able to feed my family and take care of their needs.”
He enthused: “Farming is a good and prosperous trade every Nigerian should be engaged in.”
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