Sugar — Icumsa-45 (Brazilian, premium-retail flag)
Sarpah's sugar shelf has three lines: Icumsa-45 (premium-retail and industrial-bakery, this page); VHP and raws (industrial cane-refining feedstock — see VHP / Raws); and brown / mill-white sugar (price-driven institutional flow ex India and Pakistan — see Brown sugar). Icumsa-45 is the premium-retail flag.
Specification
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Type | White refined cane sugar |
| Polarisation | ≥ 99.8° |
| ICUMSA colour | ≤ 45 IU |
| Moisture | ≤ 0.04% |
| Ash content | ≤ 0.04% |
| Reducing sugars | ≤ 0.04% |
| Granulation | Fine to medium (per buyer spec) |
| Packing | Bulk in 50-kg, 25-kg or 1,000-kg bags |
Icumsa-45 (or "ICUMSA 45") is the global benchmark spec for premium white refined sugar — used in industrial bakery, beverage manufacturing, confectionery, and high-quality retail. The spec name references the International Commission for Uniform Methods of Sugar Analysis colour scale.
Origin
Brazil — FOB Santos.
Brazil is the world's largest sugar exporter and Santos is the principal sugar-export port. Brazilian Icumsa-45 is the dominant origin globally for premium refined white sugar.
Loadport
| Port | Inspector |
|---|---|
| Santos, Brazil | SGS / Cotecna / Intertek |
Volume
12,500–50,000 MT per shipment.
Delivery Terms
FOB / CFR / CIF Mombasa. ASWP on bilateral agreement.
Payment
Buyer's bank issues; seller's bank advises or — where required — confirms. Sarpah is not on the instrument chain.
Factory-direct: Buyer's bank executes MT103 100% prepayment under the SPA with APG under URDG 758.
Trading-house: Irrevocable Confirmed DLC under UCP 600 + MT103.
Multi-shipment SPA: SBLC under URDG 758 / ISP98 with TT against shipping documents.
Application
Icumsa-45 sugar is consumed in Kenya across:
- Industrial bakery and confectionery — Bidco, Kapa, biscuit and bread industries
- Beverage manufacturing — Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Equator Bottlers, energy/soft-drink producers
- Premium retail packaging — branded sugar in supermarket retail
- EAC re-export — Uganda, Rwanda, DRC, South Sudan deficit
The sugar wedge in Kenya is structurally short. Domestic cane production (West Kenya, Mumias, Kibos, Sony, Butali, KISCOL) does not meet demand. The deficit has historically been covered through:
- Brazilian Icumsa-45 (premium, industrial, retail)
- Indian / Sri Lankan brown sugar (commodity grade, lower price)
- KNTC-coordinated import windows under government mandate
- COMESA / EAC sensitive-list waiver windows
KNTC Procurement Framework
The Kenya National Trading Corporation has historically operated import windows for sugar under government mandate. Post-2023 reorganisation has narrowed scope; current activity should be confirmed against KNTC's published procurement and Treasury circulars.
For private-channel sugar import, AFA Sugar Directorate (which co-exists with the Kenya Sugar Board under the Sugar Act 2024) licensing applies, and the Sugar Act 2024 levy is collected at customs.
Wider sugar shelf: VHP and raws (industrial cane-refining feedstock) and brown-sugar (Indian / Pakistani) lines are introduced on enquiry — Icumsa-45 is the premium retail flag.
Compliance
- AFA Sugar Directorate sugar-import licensing (co-existing with the Kenya Sugar Board under the Sugar Act 2024) — if applicable to Buyer's role
- KEBS Certificate of Conformity at Santos load port
- Phytosanitary not required (refined sugar is not in KEPHIS scope)
- Certificate of Origin from Brazilian Chamber of Commerce
- COA, Weight Certificate
- Marine Insurance covering 110% CIF
- EAC CET: HS 1701.99.00 (refined sugar). Base 100% or USD 460/MT, whichever higher (sensitive list)
- Sugar Development Levy: 4% of CIF, effective 1 July 2025 under LN 113/2025 / Sugar Act 2024
- VAT: 16% standard
- IDF 2.5%; RDL 2%
The sugar tariff and levy stack is the highest in the Sarpah product range. Margin and pricing must be modelled against landed-cost arithmetic per Buyer's operational need.
Discharge
Mombasa breakbulk or containerised discharge. Bagged sugar (50-kg, 1-tonne jumbo bags) is typically containerised.
Procurement Profile
| Buyer | Volume | Cycle |
|---|---|---|
| KNTC / government window | 12,500–50,000 MT per cycle | Episodic |
| Industrial bakery / beverage | 5,000–25,000 MT per quarter | Recurring |
| Retail packer | 2,000–10,000 MT per quarter | Year-round |
| EAC re-export | 12,500–50,000 MT per shipment | Per regional deficit |