Crystal Sugar Set to create 3,000 direct jobs in Nigeria

CRYSTAL Sugar has revealed that its factory in Hadejia, Jigawa State currently under construction will create 3,000 direct jobs to Nigerians and the people of Jigawa when completed.

Stating this in Abuja at the weekend, the chairman of Crystal. Sugar, Alh. Muhammed Sani noted that “the plant, when completed, would boast of initial crushing capacity of 1500 ton of sugarcane and 150 ton of refined sugar per day and will generate about 3000 direct jobs to Nigerians”.

Muhammed disclosed that the Factory has a unique advantage of having most of the factory component ready for operation making capable of being among the first or Second to achieve Sugar Production from “Farm” to “Table” in Nigeria.

The Sugar company also revealed that Hadejia factory will be commission in 2019 following the signing of a technical agreement with Kenana Engineering and Technical Services West Africa (KETSWA).

According to the Chairman of Crystal Sugar, “We are building a new relationship with Kenana Engineering and Technical Services, about the oldest sugar development company in Africa. They are here to formalize new relationship which will see to the completion of the sugar factory and the design and construction of the sugar estate.”

The estate he added, will be developed in a two-year program that will seat on 6,000 hectares of land with 75 hectare seed nursery. Adding that, “God willing, this project will be commissioned in two-years’ time.”

Responding, Managing Director of KETSWA, Engr Mulhim Eltayeb, said “our special relationship with Crystal Sugar company started back in year 2013 in which Kenana did an assessment of the plant and how to assemble the equipment.”

“We are going to continue from where we stopped, assessment of the existing situation of the plant and sugarcane plantation, in the next couple of months we will do the complete design for the full implementation of the project, which includes the factory and the sugarcane estate.”

He disclosed also that, the agreement with Crystal Sugar equally includes development of the expertise of the Nigerian people by transferring the knowledge it has accumulated over 40 years of the existence as the biggest sugar company in Africa.

He said: “I think this is a good opportunity for us to work on this special project. Within the next 24 months is 2019 crop seasons we will have a sugar complex that will contribute to the development of Jigawa State and Nigerian economy.”