ABUJA, April 13 (MENA) - Nigeria's National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) and Chinese conglomerate SINOMACH have agreed to jointly develop a large-scale sugarcane cultivation and processing project in the West African nation.

This was disclosed by NSDC Executive Secretary Kamar Bakrin in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Abuja.

The agreement is expected to attract investments worth up to $1 billion, he said.

According to Bakrin, the initiative is one of the early outcomes of the Nigeria-China Strategic Partnership championed by Nigerian President Bola Tinubu.

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed as part of the agreement, he said.

According to the MoU, SINOMACH will construct a sugar-processing plant and develop a sugarcane plantation with an initial annual processing capacity of 100,000 metric tons, with a long-term target of one million metric tons.

Bakrin described the agreement as a strategic milestone in Nigeria’s pursuit of self-sufficiency in sugar production.

“2025 is a pivotal year for Nigeria, and we must make bold moves towards food security and economic self-sufficiency,” he said.

The project is expected to create thousands of jobs, stimulate rural infrastructure development, conserve foreign exchange, and serve as a model for Nigeria’s broader industrialization efforts, he added.

“This partnership with SINOMACH is unique. It combines engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) with development financing—an essential model for agro-industrial transformation,” he pointed out.

Bakrin added that NSDC would provide all necessary support to ensure smooth project takeoff, including facilitating approvals, land acquisition, and other authorizations. (MENA)

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