W9 Macadamia Update: Kenya’s Farmers Formed Community Groups to Avoid Exploitation, Export Suspension Paves Way for New Opportunities, Marquis Macadamias Announces Restructuring Plan

Published Mar 9, 2024

In W9 in the macadamia landscape, farmers in Kenya formed community groups to avoid exploitation when selling macadamia nuts. These groups aim to ensure that farmers receive fair prices and educate them about harvesting mature nuts. In addition, the suspension of exports of in-shell macadamia nuts enabled Kenya’s farmers to target new export markets and receive good prices after significant losses in 2023. Lasty, Marquis Macadamias announced a strategic restructuring plan to improve its service delivery and market responsiveness, which includes the departure of their South African partner - Global Macadamias.

Kenyan Farmers Acting to Prevent Exploitation in Macadamia Nuts Sales

Farmers in Kenya formed community groups to protect themselves from exploitation by mediators when selling their macadamia nuts. The groups aim to ensure that the farmers receive a fair price of USD 0.68 per kilogram (KES 100/kg) and educate them on the importance of harvesting mature nuts. This move comes after farmers suffered significant losses estimated at billions of shillings in 2023 from selling their produce for less than USD 0.21/kg (KES 30/kg). Recently, association officials pitched a camp at Mathare in village in Kigumo.

Kenyan Macadamia Farmers Benefit from New Export Market

Macadamia farmers in Kenya have seen a positive impact following the suspension of exports of in-shell macadamia nuts. In 2023, farmers faced substantial losses due to economic downturns in key markets like the United States (US) and Europe. Targeting China as the primary market in 2024, Kenya priced macadamias from USD 0.68/kg to 0.83/kg (KES 100/kg to KES120/kg)

Marquis Macadamias Announces Strategic Restructuring Plan

Marquis Macadamias, an industry leader in producing and marketing macadamia nuts in Australia, announced a strategic restructuring plan. This restructuring aims to improve their service delivery and market responsiveness. As a part of this plan, Global Macadamias, previously the South African partner of the Marquis Group, is no longer a part of the group. The change emphasizes their commitment to sustained growth and providing high-quality Australian macadamia products to customers worldwide. The Marquis Group is owned by growers, with two factories in Australia; Marquis Macadamias can process over 28 thousand metric tons (mt) of nut-in-shell annually.