The management of Dangote Sugar Refinery Plc (DSR) has disclosed that the company will employ thousands of Nigerians in its proposed sugar plantations to be sited in Sokoto, Kebbi, Jigawa, Taraba, Kogi and Kwara states.

DSR’s new Group Managing Director, Mr. Graham Clark, made this known during an interactive session with journalists recently in Lagos. Clark also announced the promotion of the former Managing Director of the company, Engr. Abdullahi Sule, to the position of Deputy Group Managing Director.

The DSR GMD said the company would continue to strengthen output, sales and distribution, through a large distribution network, in addition to investing in new factories. He said DSR embarked on the expansion as part of its efforts to boost integrated sugar cane farming and sugar milling. Clark expressed the confidence that remodeling of the company’s integrated sugar production will enhance its value-chain process, as by-products will be extracted from sugar cane for production.

He said: “Unlike before, where we import raw sugar for refining, the economic model of the sugar plantation is profitable when examined from the value-chain process. We will change the whole process and seek partnerships with communities and state governments in order to aid land acquisition for sugar plantation.

“The company is actively pursuing a backward integration master plan with a target of producing a total of 1.5 million tonnes of sugar per annum locally from its subsidiaries.”

The DSR GMD also disclosed that the company would harness opportunities in the regional markets after it had satisfied demands in the local market. The company plans to resume exports to selected West African countries in the first quarter of 2014.

•Photo shows Dangote Sugar Refinery’s GMD, Graham Clark.