The Niger State Government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with three firms for sugarcane cultivation and sugar production in the state.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Digital Media and Strategy, Abdullberqy Usman Ebbo, on his social media page, said the MOU signed at the Government House in Minna, the state capital, is a giant leap toward achieving the much-lauded agricultural revolution in the state.

The agreement was signed between Uttham Sucrotech International, Rite Foods Ltd, and Legacy Sugar Company Ltd with Niger Foods for a three-year, 148,000 hectares project that will establish six sugar mills in Niger State, with four to be located between Shiroro and Minna.

Abdullberqy Ebbo explained that each of the 6 sugar factories is estimated to have a capacity of 5,000 to 15,000 (TCD) tonnes of sugarcane crushed per day, producing sugar, ethanol, and power (clean energy).

He stated that a yearly projection of 1.6 million tonnes of sugar and 1.45 million tonnes of ethanol is expected to boost domestic food production and exports.

According to him, the agreement will further serve as an avenue for providing an enabling environment for investments in the state and open doors of opportunities for the citizenry in enhancing industrialization in Niger State.

Ebbo revealed that in addition to improving food security and the quality of life of the people, the project also aligns with the state government’s Green Economy Initiative, with ethanol blending with fuel reducing the carbon footprint in the state.

He noted other benefits of the programme to the state to include the production and provision, by Uttham Sucrotech Company, of 110,000 out-growers and other by-products of sugarcane such as refined ethanol, power, and cattle feeds, among others and empowering local farmers for self-sufficiency.

Others include the provision of an off-take programme of 145 million litres of ethanol from the sugar plant, with each benefiting farmer making between N5 and N6 million in revenue every year, just as the initiative has the added benefit of reducing the pressure on the dollar while increasing community growth and development, among others.

The Special Adviser added that the out-grower and off-taker component of the agreement will encourage community participation in the program, which will further the cause of poverty alleviation by creating jobs, skills acquisition, training, and encouraging community participation.