Macadamia farmers will have to wait a little longer before harvesting, after the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) announced a seasonal closure to protect nut quality.
- •In a notice, AFA said no harvesting or trading of locally produced macadamia will be allowed between December 1, 2025 and February 15, 2026.
- •The directive affects all value chain actors including processors, exporters, importers and marketing agents.
- •The Authority also reminded traders that the ban on exporting raw, in-shell macadamia remains in place, a measure designed to promote local value addition and higher farmer earnings.
The Authority said its latest field assessments show that a large share of the nuts in key growing regions are still immature, with kernels yet to fully develop their oil content and flavour. Harvesting at this stage, AFA cautions, would compromise quality and weaken Kenya’s premium position in the global macadamia market.
Kenyan macadamia is prized internationally for its high oil content, rich flavour and longer shelf life. However, these attributes are only achieved when nuts reach optimum maturity on the tree.
AFA’s Nuts and Oilseeds Directorate has in recent years tightened monitoring to curb premature harvesting, which had been linked to falling farm-gate prices and rising rejection rates in export markets.
With the global demand outlook for Kenyan macadamia still firm, AFA is banking on the seasonal closure to protect long-term returns for the sector. Farmers are advised to allow the crop more time on the tree to ensure they benefit from better quality, pricing and reputation in key markets.
