Cabinet Secretary (CS) Mutahi Kagwe has revealed that the harvesting season for Macadamia nuts will begin on March 1 2025.
The CS also extended the export ban for all raw in-shell macadamia, assuring that the move is to ensure that the industry adheres to the law in line with the Agricultural Food Authority (AFA) Act, the Oil Crops (Nuts and Crops) Regulations of 2020.
According to Kagwe, it will create better opportunities to farmers.
He, therefore, urged farmers to register under the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management System (KIAMIS) to allow a cohesive partnership between the government, farmers, development partners and the private sector.
“The ultimate goals are to protect the nascent industry, raise both quality and quantity, protect farmers’ incomes, encourage local value addition in all agricultural value chains, create, grow and protect local jobs’ Kagwe stated.
“AFA shall coordinate with the county governments to support farmers roll out formation of groups for the sector through such initiatives as the e-Extension service, subsidized fertilizer and real-time market information, and an organized farm base”, he added.
He also stated that the plantation growers will be prioritized to enhance the monitoring of nut maturity across the Agro-Ecological Zones (AEZS).
“Further a standardization system for assessing nut quality will be established aligned with existing quality standards and parameters. To ensure consistency and accurate quality assessment, clear guidelines will be developed for the use of X-ray scanners,” the CS further stated.
