The National Sugar Development Council has entered agreements with four operators to establish new sugar estates with a combined annual output target of 400,000 metric tonnes.

NSDC Executive Secretary, Kamar Bakrin, announced this on Monday in Abuja.

Bakrin said the deals are part of the council’s drive to cut Nigeria’s dependence on sugar imports.

Under the agreements, Brent Sugar in Oyo, Niger Foods in Niger, Legacy Sugar in Adamawa, and UMZA in Bauchi will each develop facilities with a production capacity of 100,000 tonnes.

The NSDC chief described the initiative as a major step toward achieving self-sufficiency in sugar production and saving foreign exchange currently spent on imports.

“The geographic spread from Nigeria’s Southwest to Northeast reflects a deliberate strategy to leverage diverse agricultural conditions and distribute economic benefits across regions.

“The agreements, signed at NSDC’s Abuja headquarters, represent a significant scaling of Nigeria’s sugar development ambitions.

“Under the terms, the council will provide customised project development support and cover critical service costs to ensure that the ventures achieve commercial viability.

“This expansion builds on Nigeria’s increasingly aggressive approach to sugar sector development,” Bakrin said.

Bakrin described 2025 as a year of accelerated growth for Nigeria’s sugar industry, noting that favourable global commodity trends and supportive government policies have opened the door for rapid capacity expansion.

He said the projects would create jobs, improve rural infrastructure, and boost economic activities along the value chain in the four host states.

He added that the new investments build on recent agreements between the NSDC and foreign partners.

“This includes a one billion dollar deal with a Chinese firm for engineering, procurement, construction and financing services to develop up to five sugar estates,” he said.