According to market intelligence and corporate data provider Asokoinsight.com, local sugar consumption has grown by 94 percent in the past two decades, from 645,000 metric tonnes in 1990 to 1.25 million metric tonnes in 2017.
In a 2019 investigation by Daily Trust, Nigeria spent $1.87 billion on the import of 5.54 million metric tons of raw sugar between 2015 to 2018.
During the commissioning of the institute, the Executive Secretary of NSDC, Dr. Latif Busari gave the assurance that NSI would help change the narrative on sugar production in the country.
The commissioning of the institute was witnessed by Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, and the Minister of Industry, Trade and Investment, Niyi Adebayo.