The Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) has announced a nationwide suspension of macadamia harvesting and trade until next year.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 11, the authority's Director General, Bruno Linyiru, said that harvesting and trading the products shall not be permitted from December 1, 2025, to February 15, 2026.
According to Linyiru, the decision was made after the authority conducted a survey in macadamia production zones across the country and established that the crop is still undergoing physiological development.
"The Authority hereby notifies all macadamia value chain actors (including but not limited to processors, exporters, importers, and marketing agents) that harvesting and trade of domestically produced macadamia nuts shall not be permitted from 1st December 2025 to 15th February 2026," Linyiru said.
"The seasonal export closure is intended to allow adequate time for the crop to attain full maturity and to ensure that all exports meet the required quality standards. The ban on the export of raw, in-shell macadamia nuts remains in force," he added.
Linyuru noted that the seasonal closure will allow the cash crop to attain full maturity, ensuring that all exports of the product meet the necessary standards.
The authority has, however, affirmed that the ban on the export of raw, in-shell macadamia nuts is still in force.
"Through the Nuts and Oils Directorate, the Authority has been implementing measures to align harvesting and processing practices on macadamia maturity trends, to safeguard kernel quality, oil content, and shelf life, essential to sustaining Kenya's reputation for premium macadamia quality," the statement read.
Macadamia nuts are among Kenya’s most valuable cash crops, providing income to thousands of smallholder farmers, especially in the central and eastern regions of the country.
Products made from macadamia nuts include edible items like roasted and flavoured nuts, nut butters and it is an ingredient for snacks, cookies, and chocolates. Non-food products include macadamia oil for cooking and cosmetics, as well as other products like animal feed and charcoal from shells.
In Kenya, the main macadamia production counties like Embu, Meru, Kiambu, Tharaka Nithi, Murang'a, Kirinyaga, and Nyeri. Other emerging production areas include counties in the Rift Valley like Uasin Gishu and Nandi, Machakos, and Taita Taveta.
In a statement in March this year, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe revealed that between July 2023 and February 2025, Kenya earned Ksh8.7 billion from exporting 10,670 tons of processed macadamia, and Ksh2.3 billion from 14,384.6 tons of raw macadamia.
