Sudan lifts 20-month ban on Kenyan tea, reopening $70 million market
By Neha KapoorEconomy Correspondent, Peepals Business
Representative image: ClickerHappy / Pixabay
Sudan lifted its 20-month ban on Kenyan tea by a ministerial order decided on 8 November 2026, reopening a market of about 35 million kg a year.
What Happened
Sudan has lifted its 20-month ban on tea imports from Kenya, reopening one of the main markets for Kenyan tea growers. The decision is set out in Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, signed by Sudan's Minister of Industry and Trade with immediate effect; Kenyan reports say the Sudanese cabinet took the decision on Sunday, 8 November 2026, and the news was made public on Wednesday, 11 November. Kenyan President William Ruto announced the move after talks with Sudan's Prime Minister, Kamil Idris, at a summit of the COMESA trade bloc in Harare.
Key Facts
- Sudan banned imports from Kenya in March 2025 after relations between the two countries broke down.
- The ban is lifted by Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, which takes effect immediately.
- Sudan historically bought about 35 million kilograms of Kenyan tea a year, worth roughly $70 million.
- Kenya exported 15.9 million kilograms of tea worth $29.6 million to Sudan in 2023.
- More than 3.44 million kilograms of Sudan-bound tea was stuck in warehouses in Mombasa when the ban was lifted.
- A director of the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) had put the industry's losses from the dispute at more than Ksh 6.5 billion a year.
- Reports say the order covers tea only, not every Kenyan product affected by Sudan's wider import suspension.
Why It Matters
Kenyan tea is traded through the auction in Mombasa, and farmers' earnings follow the prices set there. Sudan matters more than its size suggests. According to a KTDA director, Sudan mainly buys particular grades of tea that other buyers do not easily absorb. When the market closed, those grades piled up unsold, and traders at the auction said prices for one such grade, BP1, never recovered.
The ban grew out of politics rather than trade. In February 2025, Sudan's paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied groups signed a political charter in Nairobi aimed at setting up a parallel administration, at a time when the RSF is fighting Sudan's army. Khartoum accused Kenya of hosting the group, which Nairobi denied, and in March 2025 Sudan suspended imports from Kenya. Kenyan reports say the reopening followed months of contacts, including talks between Sudan's ambassador in Nairobi and the East African Tea Trade Association in August 2026, a visit by Kenya's intelligence chief to Sudan's leader, General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, and finally the meeting between President Ruto and Prime Minister Idris.
Some questions remain open. One Kenyan report notes that the announcement did not say exactly when imports would resume or whether any conditions apply. Shipments will also depend on whether buyers in Sudan, a country still at war, can pay and receive goods.
For Indian readers, the story is a reminder of how closely tea prices are tied to a handful of buyer countries and to politics. India's own tea industry is debating price support of a different kind: this week, five industry bodies backed a Tea Board panel's proposal for a minimum sustainable price for tea, a benchmark linked to wages and consumer prices.
Peepals calculation: Sudan's usual purchases of about 35 million kilograms for about $70 million work out to roughly $2 a kilogram (70 ÷ 35 = 2.0). In 2023, Kenya's 15.9 million kilograms sold to Sudan for $29.6 million, about $1.86 a kilogram (29.6 ÷ 15.9 ≈ 1.86). The 3.44 million kilograms stuck in Mombasa equal about a tenth of one normal year's Sudanese demand (3.44 ÷ 35 ≈ 0.10). Our calculation from the reported figures.
| Measure | Figure |
|---|---|
| Usual Sudan purchases | About 35 million kg a year, about $70 million |
| Kenya's tea exports to Sudan, 2023 | 15.9 million kg, $29.6 million |
| Tea stuck in Mombasa | More than 3.44 million kg |
| Industry losses estimate | More than Ksh 6.5 billion a year |
| Length of ban | About 20 months, from March 2025 |
Impact
Short-term: Exporters can try to clear the tea stranded in Mombasa warehouses, and demand for the grades Sudan buys may lift prices for those teas at the auction, depending on how quickly trade restarts.
Long-term: A stable Sudanese market would help Kenyan smallholders, whose incomes have been squeezed. It also shows the risk of relying on markets where political disputes can shut trade overnight.
Who is affected: Kenyan tea farmers and factories, tea exporters and auction buyers in Mombasa, Sudanese importers and consumers, and rival tea-exporting countries that sell into the same markets.
Key Takeaway
Sudan's lifting of its 20-month ban reopens a market worth about $70 million a year to Kenyan tea, though the timing of fresh shipments is still unclear.
Questions and Answers
Has Sudan lifted the ban on Kenyan tea?
Yes. Ministerial Order No. 25 of 2026, signed by Sudan's Minister of Industry and Trade, lifts the ban on tea imports from Kenya with immediate effect; Kenyan reports say the cabinet decided it on 8 November 2026.
Why did Sudan ban Kenyan imports?
Sudan suspended imports from Kenya in March 2025 after the RSF and allied groups signed a political charter in Nairobi in February 2025; Sudan accused Kenya of hosting the group, which Kenya denied.
How much Kenyan tea does Sudan buy?
Sudan historically bought about 35 million kilograms of Kenyan tea a year, worth roughly $70 million; in 2023 Kenya sold 15.9 million kilograms worth $29.6 million there.
When will Kenyan tea exports to Sudan restart?
The announcement did not give a date for imports to resume, according to Kenyan reports, though more than 3.44 million kilograms of Sudan-bound tea was waiting in Mombasa.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Neha Kapoor, Economy CorrespondentCovers Economy and more for Peepals Business. All stories by Neha Kapoor
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Neha Kapoor is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
