Macadamia traders under the Nuts Traders Association of Kenya (NUTAK) have accused the government of neglecting farmers, warning that restrictive regulations are worsening losses and exposing growers to exploitation by middlemen.
Led by Chairman Johnson Kihara, the traders faulted Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and leaders from the Mt Kenya region for failing to address challenges facing macadamia farmers. They singled out policies enforced by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA), particularly Section 43 of the 2013 regulations, which bans the sale and export of unprocessed nuts.
Kihara said the restriction has suppressed the market, leading to a buildup of unsold stock. “After doing my research, I found 25,000 metric tonnes which, if bought at the price the CS is saying, is about Ksh 5 billion,” Kihara said during a meeting in Sagana on June 6, 2026.
Kihara urged the government to suspend Section 43 for six months to allow consultations and facilitate access to international markets, especially China and Russia, where demand for in‑shell macadamia is high.
Farmers have seen the farm‑gate price of macadamia plummet from Ksh 150 to Ksh 50 per kilogram, a drop traders say has left growers vulnerable to exploitation by middlemen allegedly linked to large processors. “We are requesting the Ministry of Agriculture to suspend Section 43 or give us at least a period of six months so that the farmers can sell the produce on their farms,” Kihara said.
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NUTAK Secretary Eddy Mark Gitonga added that the market for in‑shell macadamia is larger in China and Russia than in Europe and the United States, arguing that liberalising the sector would allow farmers to earn better returns. “Currently, the farmer is selling macadamia at Ksh 50 per kg, so I believe after the lifting of the ban on shell macadamia will be selling for more than a hundred shillings per kilo,” he said.
The Sagana meeting brought together traders and farmers from seven counties in the Mt Kenya region, where participants accused Members of Parliament and Senators of failing to protect farmers’ interests. One speaker alleged that legislators were compromised by processors to pass Section 43, describing the law as punitive and oppressive.
Traders also opposed a government proposal requiring macadamia farmers to join cooperative societies, recalling that many farmers lost their savings through such societies in the 1970s and 1980s. They argued that forcing farmers into cooperatives would erode trust and expose them to further financial risks.
By Masaki Enock
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