In an effort to repositioning itself as a diversified agri-industrial company, Zambia Sugar has plans to produce fertiliser and ethanol for use as a petroleum product within the next decade, an ambition that reflects the growing strategic value of sugarcane as a platform for multiple industrial outputs rather than a single commodity.
ABF Sugar Chief Executive Paul Kenward, speaking on the sidelines of a visit to Zambia, said the company’s operations are being aligned with the country’s broader development aspirations. “In the next 10 years, Zambia Sugar is being positioned to be a large-scale producer of fertilizer as well as ethanol to be used as a petroleum product for vehicles and machines. Our long-term vision as a key investor in Zambia’s agriculture sector extends into energy as well,” said Kenward.
The energy dimension is already advancing as Zambia Sugar Managing Director Oswald Magwenzi confirmed the company will meet its target of adding 100 megawatts of electricity capacity to its current 40 megawatt base within five years. A 13 megawatt biomass expansion project is scheduled for completion this year and a tender for an additional 15 megawatt solar plant has already been advertised. The company is also working to expand its sugarcane production area by an additional 5,000 hectares in the medium term through an enlarged out-grower programme.
Zambia’s energy-constrained economy and its ambitions to reduce fertiliser import dependence, the scale of what Zambia Sugar is planning carries implications that extend well beyond the agriculture sector.
