By Ken Muthomi - Reporter
Kenya, April 23, 2026 - The Ministry of Agriculture has urged macadamia processors to buy all locally produced macadamia nuts at the government-set minimum price of Sh100 per kilogram, or risk the reopening of the raw in-shell exports.
Speaking in Nyeri on Thursday, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said that despite warnings, brokers of the product continue to exploit farmers by buying macadamia at a price of Ksh30, only to resell it at a regulated price to processors.
Kagwe stressed the need for a pro-processor under the MACNUT Association of Kenya to absorb all locally produced macadamia so as to sustain local value chain addition, protect jobs, and guarantee farmers fair returns.
“If processors are not taking all the macadamia produced in Kenya, I will open up exports of raw in-shell macadamia. But I also want farmers to form cooperatives because unity gives you bargaining power and makes it easier for processors to take up produce,” Kagwe said.
The CS also condemned the continued theft targeting high-value crops such as coffee, avocado, and macadamia, saying that it amounted to economic sabotage.
Macadamia nuts are among the country’s most valuable cash crops, providing income for smallholder farmers, especially in the central and eastern regions of the country.
Products made from macadamia nuts include edible items like roasted and flavoured nuts and nut butters, and it is an ingredient for snacks, cookies, and chocolates. Other non-food products include macadamia oil for cooking and cosmetics, as well as other products like animal feed and charcoal from shells.
In Kenya, the main macadamia production counties include Embu, Meru, Kiambu, Tharaka Nithi, Murang'a, Kirinyaga, and Nyeri. Other emerging production areas include counties in the Rift Valley like Uasin Gishu and Nandi, Machakos, and Taita Taveta.
By banning the export of raw in-shell nuts, the government aimed to strengthen local industries by requiring processors to buy and process macadamia within Kenya instead of allowing traders to sell directly to foreign markets.
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