Company upgrade helps farmers crack macadamia nuts markets
By Oliver Musembi, January 17, 2023There is renewed hope for macadamia nut farmers who have been facing export challenges over the past few months.
This is after a local processor acquired a pasteurising plant that meets foreign standards.
Over the past few months, exports have been dwindling, especially in the main markets of the United States and Canada, which imposed stiff regulations on pathogen levels of the product, thus eroding farmers’ earnings.
Farmers and processors say that one of the requirements by the importers has been that the nuts be pasteurised before being cleared for export in order to reduce the pathogen levels.
Thika-based Jungle Nuts Ltd has now acquired a Sh500 million pasteurising plant that is set to start operations any time soon. Indeed, things are looking up for farmers.
“The past few months have been tough for farmers after our main consumers in America and Europe imposed tough conditions on pathogen levels, demanding that the product goes through a pasteurising machine first, which is very expensive,” said company managing director Patrick Wainaina (right).
However, he appealed to producers to be patient, promising that processing of the nuts for export will resume soon.
Wainaina, who is the immediate former MP for Thika Town constituency, regretted that the price of macadamia nuts has dropped to about Sh100 per kilogramme, from a high of Sh200, but added that the trend is set to change.
Most of the nuts are grown in Kiambu, Murang’a and a few other neighbouring coffee-growing counties.