Macadamia companies upbeat on nut quality

Macadamia processors are upbeat about improved quality this season after the State locked out brokers who used to buy nuts for smuggling to China.

The harvesting season starts next week.

When harvesting was not controlled, there used to be a lot of wastage due to indiscriminate mopping up by early entrants, Nut Processors Association of Kenya (NutPAK) chief executive officer Charles Muigai said.

Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) had issued a moratorium in November last year that set the start of the harvesting season at February 15 in an attempt to safeguard quality of nuts.

“We applaud AFA and other agencies for the work they have done in offering surveillance in crop areas to deter early harvesting,” Mr Muigai said, adding that when harvested prematurely, buyers select nuts that meet certain standards, leaving farmers with huge losses.

Farmers from Meru County on Monday said they were hoping to get better prices this year.

Joshua Muriira, Meru Macadamia Farmers Association chairman, said AFA officers had intensified surveillance especially in Kitheo, Tigania East Sub County where the crop matures before other areas.

“Unlike last year when we sold before the set date, this time we could not since undercover officers were on the ground. We are waiting for February 15 when buying will start and we hope to get good prices now that we have waited for the crop to mature,” Mr Muriira said.

There has been increased production of macadamia nuts due to attractive farm gate prices that started at Sh150, reaching Sh200 by the close of the last season in October. Some farmers in Mount Kenya region have cut down coffee trees to pave the way for the crop.

NutPAK has in the recent past insisted on best practices among its members as the only way to safeguard a rapidly growing and competitive global market keen on quality.

With 90 percent of processors being members, NutPAK has developed a code of conduct for self-regulation and one of its key resolutions is the need to have players harmonize quality of nuts to safeguard Kenya’s international market, Mr Muigai said.

Kenya sells over 98 percent of its macadamia produce globally. In an earlier interview, Mr Muigai said the quality of the nut is dictated by buyers abroad and Kenya risks losing its export market if it does not employ proper crop husbandry.

Malawi, South Africa, Australia and lately Vietnam, which Kenya competes with, have all embraced this harvesting practice and other best practices, according to NutPAK.

With the world’s production estimated at 200,000 tons annually, Kenya is the third largest producer contributing 20 percent. Anticipating production to reach about 60,000 tonnes in the next five years, processors have created an installed processing capacity of 90,000 tons and are currently operating at 50 percent.

Macadamia constitutes only 2 percent of tree nuts in the world, which makes the global market sustainable, according to data obtained from NutPAK.

The crop has lately been introduced in non-traditional areas such as Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet and Nandi counties which are getting frustrated with maize farming.