Macadamia traders under the Nuts Traders Association of Kenya (NUTAK) have accused the government of failing to protect farmers, saying restrictive regulations are worsening losses in the sector and exposing growers to exploitation by middlemen.

Led by Chairman Johnson Kihara, the traders faulted Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe and leaders from the Mt Kenya region for what they termed continued neglect of challenges facing macadamia farmers, particularly policies enforced by the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) that restrict the sale and export of unprocessed nuts.

They argued that Section 43 of the regulations, introduced in 2013, has suppressed the market by banning trade in in-shell macadamia, leading to a buildup of unsold stock. Kihara said about 25,000 metric tonnes of macadamia, valued at roughly Ksh5 billion, is currently lying in stores due to lack of market access.

“After doing my research, I found 25,000 metric tonnes which if bought with the price the CS is saying, is about Ksh 5 billion,” Kihara told journalists in Sagana on Saturday, June 6, 2026.

He called on the national government to suspend Section 43 of the law for six months to allow consultations and facilitate access to international markets, particularly China and Russia, where demand for unprocessed macadamia nuts is high.

“We are requesting the Ministry of Agriculture to suspend section 43 or give us at least a period of six months so that the farmers can sell the produce in their farms,” Kihara said.

Public engagement with traders

Speaking during a meeting held in Sagana that brought together macadamia traders and farmers from seven counties in the Mt Kenya region, Kihara urged leaders to heed farmers’ concerns and lift the ban on the sale and export of raw macadamia nuts.

According to him, the farm-gate price of macadamia has dropped from Ksh150 to Ksh 50 per kilogram, exposing farmers to exploitation by middlemen allegedly linked to large processing companies.

NUTAK Secretary Eddy Mark Gitonga said the market for in-shell macadamia nuts is larger in China and Russia than in Europe and the United States, and called on the government to liberalise the sector to allow all traders to access international markets.

“Currently the farmer is selling macadamia at Ksh 50 per kg so I believe after the lift of the ban on shell macadamia will be selling for more than a hundred shillings per kilo,” said Gitonga.

Fault on Parliament

Another trader, Stephen Juma from Embu, accused Members of Parliament and Senators from the Mt Kenya region of failing to protect the interests of macadamia farmers and allowing what he termed oppressive and punitive laws to pass in Parliament.

“It appears like our members of parliament were compromised by processors to pass section 43 because it is not meant to favor our farmers,” Juma said.

The traders also opposed a government proposal requiring macadamia farmers to join cooperative societies, arguing that many farmers lost their savings through such societies during the 1970s and 1980s.

“Our fathers had formed societies in the 70s and 80s and then collapsed and money was lost. That is when we went back to selling our products to middle men,” John Mugo said.