The government is exploring alternative uses of macadamia to boost the earnings of farmers at a time prices of the nut have plummeted due to oversupply.
Crop Development Principal Secretary Kello Harsama said the addition of macadamia as an edible oil-producing crop under the National Edible Oil Crops Project would provide a much-needed cushion for farmers hard hit by the global glut that has seen prices of the commodity drop.
The other oil-producing crops in the project are sunflower, canola and soybeans.
Overproduction of macadamia globally has heavily hit farmers in the country with some in Central Kenya uprooting the trees to replace them with more economically viable crops.
Some farmers are grinding the nuts for animal feed while others are selling them to tea factories to be used as fuel.
Farmers are selling the nuts for about Sh45 per kilogramme to processors and between Sh15 and Sh20 per kilo to brokers.
This is down from between Sh120 and Sh200 per kilo about three years ago.
Mr Harsama said increased domestic consumption of macadamia nuts in various value-added forms will help provide relief to the global glut challenge and boost incomes for farmers.
The PS was speaking during the rebranding of the listed agricultural firm Kakuzi. As part of a value-addition process geared at raising local consumption for macadamia, Kakuzi has introduced a range of ready-to-eat macadamia consumer packs in various flavours.
The firm has also started the production of cold-pressed macadamia cooking oil.
“I am impressed that as the government advances the National Edible Oil Crops Project, Kakuzi, as part of its branding programme, is set to introduce competitively priced macadamia cooking oil,” said the PS.
