John Owan Enoh, the minister of state for industry, trade, and investment, has identified the Sunti Golden Sugar Estate operated by Flour Mills of Nigeria Plc as a working example of Nigeria’s push to achieve domestic sugar production and reduce imports.
- +FG backs Flour Mills’ Sunti Estate as Nigeria pushes to cut sugar imports
Speaking during a visit to the estate in Mokwa, Niger State, the minister said the project demonstrates that private sector-led agricultural industrialisation under government policy frameworks can deliver production, jobs, and value chain development.
Speaking during a visit to the estate in Mokwa, Niger State, the minister said the project demonstrates that private sector-led agricultural industrialisation under government policy frameworks can deliver production, jobs, and value chain development.
“This is a functioning industry with all the key elements in place: employment, production, and value creation,” Enoh said after touring the facility. He noted that the estate employs up to 4,500 workers at peak periods and integrates farming and processing operations.
The estate operates under the Federal Government’s National Sugar Master Plan and Backward Integration Programme, aimed at increasing local sugar output. Enoh said the next phase of the programme would focus on expanding land under sugarcane cultivation to improve output and utilisation of processing capacity.
“We will persist in monitoring to guarantee the achievement of the backward integration program’s objectives.” He said, “While we have made progress, the key challenge remains expanding cultivation.”
The Sunti project, managed by Golden Sugar Company, has a production capacity of 600,000 tonnes of cane per season, with plans to scale to one million tonnes. It spans approximately 21,500 hectares, with 3,700 hectares currently under cultivation.
Enoh also commissioned a training centre at the estate designed to support skills development within host communities and align operations with industry standards.
The project has delivered infrastructure and social services across 28 host communities, including roads, water supply, schools, healthcare, and electrification, according to the company.
Boye Olusanya, group chief executive officer of FMN, said the company would continue to expand its backward integration investments in line with government policy.
“Sunti Golden Sugar Estate reflects our commitment to building local capacity across the sugar value chain and supporting national self-sufficiency,” he said.
The visit ended with a call for closer collaboration between government and industry to scale domestic sugar production and reduce Nigeria’s import bill.
