The Agriculture and Food Authority has announced a national suspension of macadamia harvesting and trade until next year to protect the quality and maturity of crops.
In a statement on Tuesday, November 11, AFA Director General Bruno Linyiru announced that the harvesting and trading of macadamia nuts will not be allowed between December 1, 2025, and February 15, 2026.
The decision came following a recent field survey across major macadamia-producing regions, Linyiru said, revealing that most of the nuts are still in the physiological development stage.
“The Authority hereby notifies all macadamia value chain actors, including processors, exporters, importers and marketing agents that harvesting and trading in domestically produced macadamia nuts shall be suspended from 1st December 2025 to 15th February 2026,” he explained.
He added that the seasonal closure will also allow the crop to mature fully,ensuring that all exported macadamia products meet global quality and safety standards.
“This seasonal export closure allows for ample time for the crop to achieve full maturity and ensures that all exports are of the required quality levels. The ban on exporting raw, in-shell macadamia nuts remains effective,” he said.
AFA however, says the Nuts and Oils Directorate has been working to change this trend by ensuring that harvesting and processing practices are aligned with the macadamia maturity patterns.
Linyiru said that the idea is to preserve the nuts’ kernel quality, oil content, and shelf life which are important factors in maintaining Kenya’s reputation for premium-grade macadamia.
Macadamia nuts are among Kenya’s most paying cash crops providing a livelihood for thousands of smallholder farmers, especially those in the central and eastern parts.
Other key production areas include Embu, Meru, Kiambu, Tharaka Nithi, Murang’a, Kirinyaga, and Nyeri, with emerging growers in parts of Rift Valley, Machakos, and Taita Taveta counties.
The nuts are used to make a variety of products-from roasted and flavored snacks, nut butter, to macadamia oil used in cooking and cosmetics. Other by-products, like shells, are also used for animal feed and charcoal production.
Early this year, Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe announced that Kenya earned KSh8.7 billion from the export of 10,670 tons of processed macadamia, and KSh2.3 billion from 14,384.6 tons of raw macadamia between July 2023 and February 2025.
AFA says the current suspension is a necessary step to protect both farmers and the country’s export reputation in the competitive global macadamia market.
