By MoALD
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe has called for urgent revival of Kenya’s cotton and sisal industries through the operationalization of the Draft Crops (Fibre Crops and Crop Fibres) Regulations, 2025.
Speaking before the National Assembly Committee on Delegated Legislation, the CS said the regulations will be “pivotal in unlocking the full potential of fibre crops and ensuring sustainable growth of this vital industry.”
He emphasized that the new framework will streamline production, processing, and marketing of fibre crops, promote value addition, regulate imports, and strengthen competitiveness in both local and global markets.
“Under the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), cotton is targeted to contribute significantly to poverty reduction, job creation, and economic growth. The fibre crops sector can transform communities if we provide the right legal and institutional support,” Kagwe told MPs
Kenya currently grows cotton in 21 counties and sisal in 11, with other crops such as jute, flax, kenaf, banana, pineapple, rice and coconut also presenting fibre potential. In 2024, cotton covered 16,477ha, producing 11,268 bales of lint against a national demand of 48,000 bales, leaving the country dependent on imports from Uganda and Tanzania.
On sisal, Kenya ranked as the third-largest global producer after Brazil and Tanzania. Large estates and smallholder farmers produced over 30,000 metric tons of fibre in 2024, with 95% exported.
However, the CS noted that the sector is weighed down by challenges including competition from synthetic fibres, aging technology, weak farmer organizations, low financing, and influx of cheap imports.
The Draft Regulations are designed to address these gaps by enhancing coordination across the value chain, supporting farmer institutions, and anchoring fibre crops firmly within Kenya’s industrialization strategy.
The Committee is expected to table its report in Parliament in the coming weeks, paving the way for possible enactment and implementation of the regulations.
