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Kenyan growers stand to benefit

Macadamia farmers welcome expanded access to China amid zero-tariff policy

By VICTOR RABALLA in Nairobi, Kenya | China Daily | Updated: 2026-04-30 09:45
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Ian Kihara, marketing director at Fair Nuts Limited, oversees operations at the company's macadamia processing factory in Thika, Kenya, on Monday. VICTOR RABALLA/CHINA DAILY

Under the clear skies of Kenya's central highlands, harvesters move through sprawling macadamia orchards, gathering freshly fallen nuts into sacks destined for collection depots, processing plants and export markets.

For thousands of farmers, this harvest season comes with an unusual sense of anticipation as they welcome expanded access to the Chinese market.

As Beijing prepares to implement a zero-tariff policy on imports from 53 African countries with which it has diplomatic ties starting Friday, Kenya's macadamia stakeholders are hopeful that a new wave of demand could raise farm-gate prices, improve livelihoods and strengthen one of the country's fastest-growing agricultural sectors.

From smallholder farmers in central, eastern and coastal regions of Kenya to cracking factories and export hubs in Nairobi and Mombasa, industry players believe the tariff waiver could mark a defining moment for a crop that sustains more than 200,000 livelihoods across farming, processing and trade.

In Kangema, Murang'a County, farmer Josphat Kariuki, who tends 1.2 hectares of macadamia trees inherited from his father, said growers have endured years of unstable prices despite rising production costs.

During peak season, he and his family wake up before sunrise to collect nuts, dry them in the yard and wait for brokers whose prices often leave farmers frustrated.

"Sometimes you spend the whole year pruning, spraying and maintaining the trees, only for buyers to come and dictate the price. We have no bargaining power because the nuts are perishable once harvested," Kariuki said.

"If China opens fully and more buyers come, that will change our lives. We do not want handouts; we only want a fair market where our produce is valued. With better prices, I can pay school fees, improve my farm and employ more workers during harvest seasons," he said.

Kenya ranks among the world's leading producers of macadamia nuts, with annual production in 2022 estimated at 42,562 metric tons valued at $18.5 million according to the regulator, Agriculture and Food Authority.

However, the high-value export market cash crop has grappled with years of volatile global prices and intensifying competition from regional producers such as South Africa and Malawi.

Now, many stakeholders in the East African nation see China's zero-tariff policy as an opportunity to reset the market.

Ian Kihara, marketing director at Fair Nuts Limited and the officer in charge of market linkages between Kenya and China, has urged the government to fast-track the suspension of restrictions on raw nut exports.

Growing demand

To enjoy China's zero-tariff policy, Kihara reiterated that this is an opportunity for Kenya to diversify away from overdependence on traditional Western markets.

"China has developed a growing niche demand for in-shell macadamia, mainly in the premium and gifting segment rather than the mass consumer market," he said.

As an industrial market with a demand of over 1.4 billion people, Kihara also noted that the Chinese prefer the raw macadamia for use in snacks, biscuits, cookies and other manufactured products.

Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture and Livestock Development Mutahi Kagwe last week said that the government could consider lifting the ban on raw macadamia exports if local macadamia processors fail to absorb all produce from local farmers.

Kagwe said the government's decision to impose the ban was intended to ensure the country benefits more from the produce by promoting local value addition and maximizing returns.

Johnson Kihara, the chairman of the Nut Traders Association of Kenya, argued that processors are overwhelmed by the nuts produced due to slow uptake in some export destinations such as the United States and European markets.

"We are not against processing, but the market should allow both processors to export kernels and traders to export a regulated share of raw nuts. That is the practical solution if we want farmers to earn fairly and avoid losses," he said.

He called for transparent pricing, prompt payments and long-term contracts that reward quality production and help growers secure better returns.

"If direct trade channels with China are opened, competition will immediately increase, farmers will receive better farm-gate prices and the entire value chain will benefit," he said.

Pally Muthathai, chairman of the Macadamia Association of Kenya, however emphasized the need for continuous farmer training in good agricultural practices, stronger extension services and technical support.

Erick Rutto, president of the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said the private sector lobby group has stepped up commercial diplomacy to expand market access, noting that memorandums of understanding have been signed with several provinces in China and that numerous business forums have taken place over the past two years.

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