Nairobi, Kenya—The government, through the Ministry of Agriculture, has imposed a temporary ban on Macadamia harvesting and exportation until March 1st, 2025, effective November 2nd, 2024.
The government has taken note of many local companies that lack quality stocks for processing, which has also led to poor performance of macadamia in the international markets. This temporary ban will ensure that only mature and inspected macadamia are processed for exportation.
“A rapid industry assessment shows that many local companies lack quality stocks for processing. It also highlighted the harvesting. Harvesting and export of immature nuts, leading to “poor performance of the Kenyan macadamia in the global markets,” the Ministry said.
The ministry emphasized mature stock only, citing the benefit of exporting processed macadamia nuts (kernels) rather than the in-shell (raw) ones.
The ministry said that the decision was taken after consultation with the industry stakeholders and has therefore encouraged “dealers to submit their current stock for inspection, verification, and clearance by November 15, 2024.”
This ban will also ensure that farmers benefit from their input by the end of the period, further allowing the government to implement a farm gate price of at least Ksh.100 per kilogram.
The Food and Agriculture Authority (AFA), which is tasked with strict compliance, is also set to tighten inspections and surveillance to comb out unscrupulous dealers.
