The National Sugar Development Council (NSDC) has congratulated Oyo Sugar and Derivatives Industries Limited (OSDL) on the completion of its 300-tonnes-per-day sugar mill in Iseyin, Oyo State, as the factory enters the commissioning and test-running stage.
The Council said the milestone marked the culmination of more than a decade of financial, technical and institutional support provided to the project under the Nigeria Sugar Master Plan (NSMP).
The greenfield sugar factory is one of the new build mills developed under the NSMP’s Backward Integration Programme, with the project also involving farming communities in Iseyin.
The NSDC said it supported the procurement of the factory’s core 300-tonnes-per-day sugar mill with about N1.64bn, while additional funding was later provided for sugarcane development and operational support.
According to the Council, its total financial commitment to the project has risen to approximately N2.2bn, while the Oyo State Government contributed an estimated N850m in equity funding towards completing outstanding works.
The NSDC also commended OSDL and the farming communities for transforming the project from a cooperative farming initiative into an operational sugar factory.
The Council said the factory’s progress demonstrated the importance of sustained collaboration among government institutions, state authorities, investors and local farming communities in developing Nigeria’s sugar industry.
“That this factory now stands ready for commissioning is the result of sustained commitment by the Council, by the Oyo State Government and by the promoters themselves,” the NSDC said.
The Council added that its support would continue as OSDL transitions into full-scale commercial production, stressing that the project could demonstrate the viability of using locally grown sugarcane to support domestic sugar production.
“Our work does not end here. The NSDC will remain engaged as OSDL moves into full-scale commercial production, and we expect this project to serve as proof that Nigeria’s sugar sector can be built on locally grown cane,” they added.
