Kenya is pushing for a major transformation of its sugar industry, shifting focus from traditional production to efficiency, value addition, and wider industrial use, as Deputy President Kithure Kindiki opened the 68th International Sugar Organization Seminar in Diani, Kwale County.
The high-level global meeting, held at Diani Beach Resort and hosted in Kenya for the first time, brought together international delegates to discuss the future of sugar production, trade, and sustainability. Kindiki used the platform to outline the country’s ongoing reforms in the sector and its broader development plans.
He welcomed participants to Kenya and described the country as a key partner in global agricultural discussions.
“It is a profound honour to join you today as we officially open the 68th Seminar of the International Sugar Organization, an event of remarkable significance, hosted for the very first time in Kenya,” he highlighted.
Kindiki said sugar plays a central role in everyday life and the economy, especially in supporting households and rural communities that depend on cane farming and milling.
“Sugar is far more than a commodity. It is a covenant between a nation and its people, as it is consumed in almost every home in our nation,” he said.
He added that the sector directly supports livelihoods across sugar-growing regions, with farmers, mill workers, and related businesses depending on its performance.
“Every hectare of sugarcane that sways in the breeze of western Kenya represents a family’s livelihood. Every mill that turns represents employment, enterprise, and economic life in our rural communities. Every tonne of sugar that reaches the market represents the labour, hope, and investment of thousands of men and women who rise before dawn to tend their farms,” he said.
Kindiki acknowledged long-standing challenges that have affected the industry, pointing to weak systems, high costs, and low productivity that slowed growth over time. He said ongoing reforms under President William Ruto’s administration are now reshaping the sector.
“The industry was weighed down by inefficiency, institutional lethargy, high production costs, and a regulatory environment that did not inspire confidence. Farmers were underpaid. Mills were underperforming. Investors were understandably cautious,” he stated.
He explained that the government has moved to restructure key institutions, improve performance standards for millers, revive public factories through leasing arrangements, and open the sector further to private investment. He also noted efforts to stabilize cane pricing to give farmers more certainty.
Looking to the future, Kindiki said the sugar sector must evolve beyond raw sugar production and expand into higher-value industries such as ethanol, renewable energy, and bio-based chemicals.
“The sugar industry of tomorrow must be integrated and diversified, one that produces sugar, yes; but also, ethanol, sustainable aviation fuel, renewable energy, bio-based chemicals, and other high-value industrial outputs. One where nothing is wasted, and everything has value,” he said.
He further emphasized the need to bring young people into agriculture through modern methods, innovation, and business opportunities.
“We will not attract young Africans into agriculture with sentiment alone. Young people are pragmatic. They follow opportunity,” the DP noted.
On climate change, he warned that shifting weather patterns are already affecting farming and must be addressed with urgency.
“This unpredictable weather pattern, is not a future challenge, it is a present reality demanding urgent response,” he stressed.
Kindiki also raised concerns about global trade systems, saying unfair market structures continue to disadvantage developing countries in agricultural commodities. He urged partners to support “a rules-based, transparent, and equitable international trading system for agricultural commodities,” while reaffirming Kenya’s commitment to reforming and modernizing the sugar industry for long-term stability and growth.