Macadamia
markets by
Mwangi Mumero
Rising global demand coupled with sector
regulation has boosted Kenya’s macadamia production and earning in the last few
years.
Global trends towards plant-based oil products
as well as health conscious consumers have anchored increased demand- boosting
farmers’ earnings.
Used as food, macadamia nuts are rich in
unsaturated oil, iron, manganese as well as vitamins A and B. It also has the
cancer- fighting antioxidants. In the cosmetic industry, it is used
as a face scrub.
In the last two years, price of macadamia nuts
have shot from Ksh 50 to Ksh 150 per kilo at the farm gate.
Unpredictable earnings from coffee has endeared
farmers to shift to less risky but lucrative crops such as macadamia- salvaging
the fortunes of mostly small holder farmers that live in the rainy Central
Kenya and western highlands.
Production is mainly done by over 11,000
smallholder farmers in 16 counties unlike in the market leaders, China and
South Africa, where macadamia in grown in large scale farming.
Kenya is the third largest macadamia producer
with 20 percent of the market share.
Kenya has about 200,000 small farms that
currently produce an estimated 42,500 tonnes of in-shell nuts annually.
But with the soaring demand of the nuts,
farmers are increasing acreage under the crop.
According to Kenya’s Economic Survey 2018, the
area under macadamia rose to 16,153 hectares in 2017 compared to 15,512
hectares the previous year, leading to an additional production of 1.443 metric
tonnes of nuts over the period.
The total value of crop rose from Ksh 4.3
billion in 2015 to Ksh 5.1 billion in 2017 due to rising global demand.
While the majority of the farms are located in
the Mt. Kenya region in the counties of Murang’a, Kiambu, Nyeri, Embu and Meru,
farmers in non-traditional areas are taking up the crop.
Farmers in Uasin Gichu, Elgeyo Marakwet and
Nandi counties- traditionally Kenya’s food baskets, known for their maize and
wheat production- are moving to macadamia.
Even in traditional macadamia producing
regions, there is an observable move to the crop.
“Macadamia farming is far better than coffee.
It has fewer risks and overheads. Less bureaucratic marketing channels
translates to better and more reliable returns,” said Mrs. Julia Wanja, a
farmer in Mumwe area in Nyeri County and one of the pioneer macadamia farmers
in the region.
Regulation of the macadamia sub-sector has
however been the major catalyst for increased interest in the crop.
Previously, farmers would harvest the raw nuts
and sell to brokers and smugglers across the borders- prompting rising thefts,
low prices and demoralized farmers.
Banning of this practice has seen increased
production of mature nuts from 11,000 metric tonnes to over 45,000 metric
tonnes in the last decade.
The number of nut processors has also shot
from 4 in 2009 to 30 in 2018- indicating the increased prospects of the sector,
according to the Nut Processors Association of Kenya (NutPAK), the umbrella
body that bring together processors.
The government regulator, Agriculture and Food
Authority (AFA) has also set the timelines for harvesting to safeguard the
quality and curb entry of raw nuts into the market.
“Regulation and surveillance in crop areas
deter early harvesting. Premature harvesting increased losses on farmers as
buyers leave some nuts during selection,” observed Charles Muigai, NutPAK chief
executive officers lauding the government on its role in streamlining the
industry.
NutPAK has also developed a code of conduct to
ensure that its members harmonise quality of nuts and safeguard the Kenya’s
international market, according to Muigai, whose members include 90 percent of
the processors.
Farmers have also been supportive of the
increased regulation of the previously chaotic marketing.
“We are establishing
nut collection centres in villages across Kenya to weed out middlemen who
exploit farmers. The law prohibiting exportation of raw nuts has been a boon
for us farmers,’ said Edward Maigho, the national chairman, Macadamia Farmers
Association of Kenya, which links up 10,000 members.
Over 98 percent of Kenya’s macadamia produce
is sold globally.
Key competition for the Kenyan produce comes
from China, South Africa, Malawi, Australia and Vietnam, according to NutPAK.
These nations have put in place harvesting
practices as well as other code of regulations to also safeguard their market
share.
Global production is estimated to increase
from the current 200,000 tonnes to 276,000 tonnes in 2020.
Experts say that a mature tree of macadamia
can produce 80kg to 300 kg of nuts although most farmers get a maximum of 50kg
mainly due to poor crop husbandry practices and weak clones.
“Production of nuts depends on the amount of
rainfall and will fall especially where farmers have no access to irrigation
water. An acre of land can hold up to 71 trees,” noted Dunson Munene, a field
operations officer at Afrimac Nuts Company.
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