Dangote Savannah Sugar Company (SSC) Targets 1m Tonnes of Sugar Annually
435 viewsNigeria’s major sugar plant, the Savannah Sugar Company (SSC) in Numan, Adamawa State, owned by Dangote Industries Limited (DIL) has announced a major expansion project as it targets to produce one million tonnes of sugar annually by 2013.
President and Chief Executive of Dangote Industries Limited, Alhaji Aliko Dangote, disclosed this in a ceremony to mark the launch of the harvest season of the sugar plantation at the company in Numan.
He remarked that in the next few years SSC will be producing 100 million litres of ethanol and 100,000 metric tons of bio-fertilizer from compost, which are important by-products from sugarcane.
The company has also estimated that the plant would have the potential of producing 300 megawatts of green electricity, enough to power the whole of North Eastern Nigeria.
To accomplish all these, Alhaji Dangote said the Group plans to take sugar cane production level to one million metric tonnes per annum, by investing in more hectares of sugar plantation made up of 36,000 hectares in Lau, Taraba State; 25,000 hectares in Galala, Bauchi State; and 20,000 hectares in Hadejia, Jigawa State.
It is expected that when the production target reaches 1 million tonnes of sugar annually, the company will increase its staff strength from the current 5,000 to 25,000. At the moment, the company is the second largest employer of labour in the state, second after the state government.
Since taking over the SSC in 2003, the has invested over N12 billion in areas like seedlings, heavy machinery, chemicals, staff emoluments, and turned around the company hitting current production of 50,000 tonnes of sugar annually.
“Presently, SSC is the only sugar company that maintains a sugar cane plantation without importing any major raw materials. It generates its own power, it plants its own sugar cane, its uses it own water, and with about 5,000 workers that ensure 24 hours operation every day. We estimate that we will be employing between 10,000 to 25,000 people to meet up with the 250,000 tons mark,” Alhaji Dangote said.
Currently, the plant has constructed a 16km canal at the cost of N500 million to ensure all year cultivation of the plantation in a bid to boost its sugar cane production.
Sugar cane has been described as one of the very important plants that has played positive role in the economic development of many nations, especially Brazil and India. The Dangote Group aims to launch the expansion of the cultivation of sugar as a means of deriving some byproducts that will enhance the economic well being of the nation.
Some of the by products include green energy, molasses, ethanol and fertilizer which can turn around the economy of northern Nigeria and generally impact on the national economy.
Following its corporate policy of empowering the local community wherever it invests, the SSC in conjunction with the Nigerian Sugar Development Council, has introduced a scheme, called Outgrowers scheme, which is designed to assist about 1000 local farmers to cultivate 1000 hectares of land.
According to Alhaji Dangote, the scheme will be implemented using a World Bank benchmark in rewarding the farmers. The SSC will provide the farmland, farming implements, seedlings and fertilizer after which the farmers will be rewarded.
“We are proud of this new concept and we believe that it will go a long way in empowering the local economy and improving the standard of living of the people in this community and the state in general.
“Our goal is to make this company a catalyst of turning around the economy of northern Nigeria through job creation and the expansion of other ancillary industries through the by-products that can be generated from sugarcane. We hope the government will support us and make this dream a realit,” Dangote said.
Filed Under: Business News • Industry News
