Kenya: A boon for macadamia farmers in the county as earnings soar

Murang'a — Macadamia farmers in the country earned more than Sh4 billion in 2022, owing to increased production of the nuts. The chairman of the Nuts Traders Association of Kenya Johnson Kihara has said during the same year, farmers produced more than 65, 000 metric tons of macadamia. In an interview with KNA in Murang'a Monday, Kihara noted that a kilo of macadamia was being bought at not less than Sh90, attributing the good prices to a healthy business competition by the numerous processors. Consequently, the chairman observed that a section of coffee farmers especially in parts of central Kenya have shifted to macadamia farming after prices of the nuts went up. "The number of macadamia farmers has gone up. This has led to more production and equally increased processors, who have occasioned competition, thus better prices," he stated. There are approximately 6,000 macadamia farmers in the country, with majority of them coming from the Mount Kenya region. Kihara said this year ...