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Farmers lose Sh680m to raw macadamia harvests

macadamia

Macadamia at a farm in Kitheo, Tigania West. PHOTO | PHOEBE OKALL |NMG

Macadamia farmers have lost Sh680 million in the last one year to processors who harvest immature nuts to cash in on high demand.

The regulator says it is in the process of withdrawing licences of two factories involved in the malpractice.

Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) director- general Alfred Busolo said processors have been luring farmers to harvest the nuts and end up rejecting over 10 per cent of the crop supplied. Mr Busolo said AFA was carrying out an audit on factory production with a view to revoking licences of firms that harvest young nuts.

“It is clear that macadamia has to be harvested when ripe. The nuts drop from the tree naturally.

“However, some processors have been forcing the crop to drop by shaking trees,” said Mr Busolo. The practice damages the trees even as it encourages stripping of nuts contrary to international best practices.

READ: Tanzania cited as route for smuggling macadamia to China despite export ban

Kenya’s macadamia are highly sought after in the world market because of their crunchy nature.

Marketing of nuts has experienced a number of challenges since the 1990s on liberalisation of trade, spurring competition between processors and exporters.

Mr Busolo said that AFA was working with other government agencies, such as the police and the Kenya Revenue Authority, to curb smuggling of the raw crop.

“We have been keen on value addition and creation of jobs, this cannot be achieved if the crop is smuggled.

“This is the reason we have intensified surveillance at boarder points,” he said.