The government has imposed a ban on the harvesting of macadamia nuts until March next year, with plans to introduce a guaranteed farm gate price of at least Sh100 per kilogram.
The move comes after a rapid assessment revealed that many local companies lack quality stock for processing.
Speaking on Tuesday, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Andrew Karanja announced that the harvesting and export of immature macadamia nuts have negatively impacted Kenya’s performance in the global market.
He emphasized that exporting processed macadamia nuts brings more benefits to the country than exporting raw, in-shell nuts.
“After consultations with industry stakeholders, a ban on macadamia harvesting will take effect from November 2, 2024, to March 1, 2025, to stop the export of immature nuts,” Karanja said. He also directed dealers to submit their current stock for inspection and verification by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA).
The CS added that the AFA will increase inspections and surveillance to identify unscrupulous dealers in the macadamia trade.
Kenya’s macadamia industry is largely export-driven, with about 95% of the annual production sold to international markets.
The farm gate prices for macadamia nuts reached a record high of Sh180 per kilogram in 2019. This led to a previous one-year ban on the export of raw nuts, which was implemented starting November 3, 2023.