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Kenya’s Macadamia Farmers Caught Between Quality Failures and Tightening Export Standards

More than 200,000 smallholder macadamia farmers across Kenya are sitting on stockpiles of unsold nuts, unable to find buyers as tightening export standards expose deep quality failures in the sector. The crisis is most acute in Murang’a, Kirinyaga, Embu, and Meru counties, where warehouses and homesteads are filling up with produce that processors are turning away at the gate.

Quality has been deteriorating for years, driven by a combination of poor farming habits and long-running structural neglect. Many smallholders still treat macadamia trees as semi-wild plants that need little attention, leaving them without adequate pest and disease control. The bigger flashpoint, however, is premature harvesting — growers picking nuts before they reach maturity in order to raise quick cash. Once harvested too early, nuts are prone to mold and spoilage, making them nearly impossible to sell on quality-conscious export markets.

One farmer captured the desperation gripping many households, revealing he is holding 500 kilograms of nuts that no buyer will touch. “Many of us will be forced out of macadamia farming,” he warned — a sentiment echoed across growing communities as the season drags on with no relief in sight.

The industry’s informal marketing structure is making things worse. Brokers dominate the buying chain, creating conditions where farmers feel pressured to sell whatever they have, at whatever price, just to recover some income. The MACNUT Association has flagged this arrangement as one that “encourages short-term decisions that compromise quality,” eroding the confidence of overseas buyers who require consistent, traceable supply. Compounding the problem, the Agriculture and Food Authority’s February 1 harvesting start date — earlier than agronomists recommend — pushed many growers to pick immature nuts, partly because rising farm theft left them afraid of losing their crop to thieves if they waited. Unlike tea or coffee, macadamia also lacks the strong farmer cooperative structures that help other cash crop sectors maintain discipline.

At the processing level, the consequences are stark. Rejection rates from processors are running at close to 50%, an unsustainable figure that is choking the supply chain. International buyers are also demanding full farm-to-export traceability — a standard that is nearly impossible to meet under Kenya’s current broker-led system, with its many informal handoffs and little documentation at each stage.

If the trend is not reversed, Kenya faces the prospect of losing ground in global macadamia markets it has spent years building. South Africa’s macadamia farmers already command prices of up to 200 shillings per kilogram — a premium that Kenyan growers could realistically achieve if quality were brought under control. The gap between Kenya’s potential and its current reality is widening, and without stronger cooperatives, better-timed regulation, and reformed market structures, analysts warn that more smallholders will simply abandon the crop entirely.

Agriculture

Nairobi to Host IGAD Hub in Fight Against Soil Degradation and Food Insecurity

Nairobi has taken centre stage in a new regional push to rescue East Africa’s ailing soils and curb widespread hunger, with the formal launch of the Steering and Technical Committees of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Soil Health and Fertiliser Hub. The development signals a serious commitment by member states to arrest the decline in soil fertility that has long undermined agricultural output across the region.

The hub’s establishment traces its roots to the Africa Fertiliser and Soil Health Summit held in May 2024, during which African heads of state and government endorsed the Nairobi Declaration on Fertiliser and Soil Health. That declaration laid out ambitious continent-wide targets and provided the political foundation for the institutional framework now taking shape in the Kenyan capital.

Among the declaration’s headline pledges, African nations agreed to triple domestic fertiliser production and distribution by 2034, restore at least 30 percent of degraded land to productive use, and ensure that 70 percent of smallholder farmers gain access to quality extension services and sound soil management guidance. These commitments carry particular weight for Kenya’s millions of small-scale farmers who already contend with worn-out soils and increasingly erratic rainfall seasons.

The urgency behind the initiative is underscored by the sheer scale of hunger across the IGAD bloc, which unites Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, Djibouti, Sudan, and South Sudan. Policy experts within IGAD put the number of people currently experiencing food insecurity in the region at approximately 62.3 million — a crisis fuelled in large part by deteriorating soil health and inadequate fertiliser access among farming communities.

The hub has mapped out six core areas of work: harmonising agricultural policies across member states, building the capacity of local institutions and farmers, developing reliable soil information systems, promoting research and innovation, expanding fertiliser markets, and mobilising sustained financial resources. Officials were candid in acknowledging that progress will hinge on how decisively each member country moves from commitment to action at the national level.

A deliberate effort has been made to ensure the hub’s gains reach those who are routinely left at the margins of agricultural policy. Women, youth, and smallholder farmers are specifically named as priority groups, with the hub committing to improve their access to land, quality seeds, fertilisers, water, and the expanding opportunities presented by digital agriculture platforms.

For Kenya, which both hosts the hub and sits at the heart of one of East Africa’s most diverse farming landscapes, this initiative presents a real opportunity to lead by example. Should the bold pledges made under the Nairobi Declaration translate into concrete policy and investment, the region’s farmers — and the tens of millions who depend on their harvests — stand to benefit in ways that could reshape food security across East Africa for generations to come.

Agriculture

Kenya and Germany Ink Deal to Expand Smallholder Irrigation Across Seven Counties

Kenya has secured fresh support from Germany to roll out irrigation projects targeting smallholder farmers across seven counties in the Lake Region Economic Bloc in western Kenya. The deal was formalised during high-level bilateral development discussions held in Berlin on June 25, bringing together Kenya’s National Treasury Principal Secretary Chris Kiptoo and Joachim Schmitt, who heads Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The talks mark a deepening of agricultural ties between the two countries at a moment when food security remains a pressing concern for millions of Kenyan farming households.

The new commitment builds on an existing German-backed irrigation programme that has already delivered strong results in the Mount Kenya region. Irrigation Principal Secretary Ephantus Kimotho underlined the economic transformation the initiative has brought about, pointing out that annual farmer incomes are projected to jump dramatically — from Sh12.4 million to Sh45.7 million — based on outcomes from projects already on the ground. Those numbers have made a compelling argument for rolling the model out to new parts of the country.

Five irrigation schemes — Miuka, Kandeki, Gatene, Magatianthi, and Kiramanti — have so far been completed under the existing collaboration. Together, these projects cover roughly 1,300 acres and have directly improved the livelihoods of 1,540 farmers. Two of the five schemes are now fully operational, with management formally handed over to local farming communities who are already working the irrigated land.

Under the expanded partnership, Germany has pledged funding for community engagement activities, project preparation work, and climate-smart agricultural initiatives aimed at bolstering food security and building resilience among smallholder households. The two governments also discussed drawing the private sector more deeply into agricultural value chains, alongside targeted programmes designed to encourage youth participation in climate action and sustainable farming practices.

A substantial portion of the Berlin discussions focused on how best to integrate irrigation, agriculture, and trade programmes in order to improve market access for farming communities and widen economic opportunities across rural areas. Officials from both sides agreed that aligning these programmes is essential to ensuring that gains in farm productivity translate into tangible income growth and long-term livelihood stability.

For smallholder farmers in the Lake Region Economic Bloc, the agreement is a meaningful step toward breaking the cycle of dependence on rain-fed agriculture — a vulnerability that erratic weather and prolonged dry spells have repeatedly exposed across western Kenya. With German financial and technical backing now formally in place, county governments and farming cooperatives across the seven target counties can expect project preparations to begin in the months ahead, bringing improved water access — and the income security that comes with it — closer to reality.

Agriculture

Rwanda Tea Fetches Better Prices at Mombasa Auction as Kenya Struggles to Compete

Rwanda’s tea is outpacing Kenyan tea at the Mombasa auction by a significant margin, fetching an average of Sh354.75 per kilogram compared to Kenya’s Sh299.28 per kilogram — a gap that has industry stakeholders sounding the alarm over the health of one of Kenya’s most important export commodities.

In the most recently concluded auction, Kenya put forward 9,424.6 tonnes of tea that collectively generated Sh2.8 billion, of which Sh2.1 billion came from Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) factories. But the headline figures mask a more troubling reality — of the 10,300 tonnes offered by KTDA-managed facilities, only 6,600 tonnes actually found buyers, while 1,600 tonnes were withdrawn unsold after pricing negotiations between sellers and buyers broke down.

Rwanda, by contrast, exported 552 tonnes at the same auction and walked away with Sh196.1 million. Within Kenya’s own market, performance was sharply uneven — Mununga Tea Factory recorded the highest price at Sh399.9 per kilogram, while Kapsara Tea Factory sold at the bottom of the market, averaging just Sh254.13 per kilogram.

Industry leaders are placing much of the blame on a new levy of Sh2.28 per kilogram on exported tea, which the government introduced in May. The charge, projected to bring in roughly Sh1.2 billion annually, is widely seen as having made Kenyan tea more expensive for international buyers, pushing them toward cheaper alternatives from neighbouring producers.

Market observer Peter Kamore has called on the government to act before the damage becomes irreversible. “There is a need for an audit to save the tea industry from losing the market as the government can waive the levy projected at Sh1.2 billion per year,” Kamore said, urging policymakers to carefully weigh short-term revenue gains against the sector’s long-term viability.

Trade association officials have confirmed that the shift is already happening — buyers are increasingly turning to Rwanda, Uganda, and Tanzania as they look for better-priced tea. Kenya, which has spent decades building its reputation as one of the world’s leading tea exporters, now finds itself at risk of ceding hard-won market share to regional rivals who face no comparable levy burden.

The combination of unsold stock, a widening price gap with Rwanda, and restless buyers shopping elsewhere puts mounting pressure on both the government and KTDA to respond quickly. The decisions made in the coming months over the levy and broader market strategy could determine whether Kenya manages to halt its slide — or continues losing ground in a market it once dominated.

Agriculture

Ruto’s Allies Turn Up Heat on Tea Board Levy, Demand Government Back Kenya’s Tea Farmers

A group of President William Ruto’s close political allies has broken ranks with the Tea Board of Kenya, publicly demanding that a controversial buyer levy be eliminated in the interest of the country’s struggling tea sector. The united front signals growing pressure from within the ruling establishment to address a charge that leaders argue is doing more harm than good to one of Kenya’s most important agricultural industries.

At the heart of the dispute is a Sh2.28 per kilogram fee that the Tea Board of Kenya levies on buyers. Senate Majority Leader Aaron Cheruiyot and Embu Governor Cecily Mbarire, who spearheaded the push, contend that the charge is not merely inconvenient — it is actively sending buyers to other markets. The two leaders estimate that this flight of buyers is costing the sector approximately Sh1.2 billion each year, a figure they say cannot be ignored.

The leaders chose a school fundraising event as the platform to deliver their sharpest criticism yet, calling on the government to do away with the levy altogether. Cheruiyot was emphatic, arguing that it was time for those in authority to stand by the tea sector the same way the industry once stood by the nation. “It’s time for them to nurture the tea sector,” he said, drawing attention to how tea earnings helped cushion Kenya’s economy when it faced serious difficulties in earlier years.

The scrutiny of the levy also reached the grassroots level, with MPs drawn from tea-producing constituencies holding meetings directly at factories to listen to the challenges affecting workers and producers on the ground. MP Muchangi Njiru was among the most vocal, arguing that the government should be the one absorbing sector costs rather than passing the burden onto producers through levies. He called specifically for public investment in research and marketing as the more productive path forward.

Cheruiyot went further by pledging to bring the collective concerns of the assembled leaders to the attention of President Ruto directly. He also pointed to the Tea Act 2020 as a law that was crafted with the right intentions — to bring stability to the sector by directing funds toward infrastructure development and research — arguing that the current levy contradicts the purpose the legislation was meant to serve.

The gathering drew an influential mix of stakeholders from across the tea belt. Embu Senator Alexander Mundigi joined his colleagues at the discussions, as did senior leadership from the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) Group and delegates from major tea factories operating in the region. Together, they delivered a single, consistent message: the government must channel resources into building the sector up, not chip away at its competitiveness through charges that are already proving costly to everyone involved.

Agriculture

Kenya Establishes WAF Country Council to Drive Next-Generation Agricultural Growth

Kenya has formally launched the World Agriculture Forum (WAF) Country Council, a milestone initiative designed to reshape the country’s agricultural sector through cutting-edge technology and scientific innovation. The ceremony was held at the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) in Nairobi, under the ambitious theme: “The Convergence of Intelligence: Strategic Investments in AI and Bioengineering for a Resilient Agricultural Future.”

The timing of the launch is deliberate. Kenya’s farming sector faces an increasingly difficult environment — erratic rainfall and shifting seasons driven by climate change are disrupting planting cycles, while trade restrictions continue to squeeze agricultural supply chains. Add a rapidly growing population to that mix, and the pressure on the country to produce more food, more efficiently, has never been greater.

At the heart of the WAF Country Council is a push to close the gap between government policy ambitions and the day-to-day realities faced by Kenyan farmers. The Council intends to build integrated investment pipelines that bring together digital intelligence — think AI-powered farming tools and data-driven decision systems — alongside biological innovation such as bioengineering, to create practical, scalable solutions across the sector.

Speaking at the launch, Principal Secretary Prof. Shaukat gave the initiative his full backing, framing it as a once-in-a-generation opportunity. He described the coming period as Kenya’s “Convergence Decade” — a window in which the combination of digital and biological intelligence can generate real, tangible opportunities for farmers across the country. His remarks signal that the government views this not as a peripheral project, but as a strategic national priority.

The Council has a clear roadmap. A central focus will be forging meaningful links between global investors and Kenya’s local agricultural innovators, ensuring that finance finds its way to the ideas most likely to improve on-farm productivity. The Council will also work to accelerate uptake of AI and bioengineering tools across the sector while cementing Kenya’s status as a continental agri-tech destination. By 2028, organizers are targeting a fully scalable implementation model ready for deployment at scale.

Movement is expected quickly. Technical working groups are set to convene within the next 30 days, tasked with tackling the thorniest issues: aligning regulations to support new technologies, designing appropriate financing mechanisms, and putting in place protections for farmers as these innovations are rolled out. Equal attention will be paid to making AI tools genuinely accessible to smallholder farmers, who stand to benefit the most from improved efficiency and climate resilience.

With the WAF Country Council now officially in place, Kenya is staking its claim as a regional leader in agricultural transformation — turning the mounting pressures of climate change and population growth into a platform for homegrown innovation.

Agriculture

State Steps Up War Against Livestock Diseases to Shield Farmers and Kenya’s Export Revenue

The national government has ramped up its campaign against livestock diseases, with Principal Secretary Jonathan Mueke spelling out fresh commitments at the Mt Kenya Branch Agricultural Society Show held in Nanyuki. Speaking at the high-profile annual event, Mueke underscored that Nairobi is forging stronger alliances with county administrations and sector stakeholders to reverse the damage diseases are causing to farmers and export markets alike.

Livestock keepers across the country are grappling with a trio of stubborn problems: disease outbreaks, the steady degradation of rangelands, and shrinking access to markets. Foot and mouth disease has proven especially damaging, forcing restrictions on animal movement and effectively locking farmers out of key trading opportunities. The scale of the crisis was plain to see at the Nanyuki show itself, where exhibitors turned up with far fewer animals than in previous years, citing disease fears as the reason for holding back their stock.

To turn the tide, authorities are rolling out countrywide vaccination drives alongside artificial insemination programmes designed to lift the genetic quality of herds across Kenya. These measures are targeted squarely at the range of production challenges that have emerged in recent seasons and are intended to give farmers a firmer footing going into the future.

Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe put the economic stakes in sharp relief, noting that livestock accounts for 42 percent of Kenya’s agricultural GDP and a notable 12 percent of national GDP. With the country’s population projected to double by 2050, the appetite for meat, milk, and other livestock products will grow in tandem — making a healthy, disease-free sector not just a farmers’ concern but a matter of national interest.

Laikipia County, which ordinarily channels significant volumes of beef and mutton to both local and export destinations, has taken a particularly hard knock. Disease outbreaks have disrupted supply chains at the source, and the situation has been made worse by instability in the Middle East — a crucial export market — which has curtailed demand and translated into heavy financial losses for producers across the region.

With the government’s intervention now picking up pace, farmers and industry players will be watching closely to see whether the vaccination campaigns and breeding upgrades deliver the relief the sector so urgently needs. For a country whose food security and foreign exchange earnings are tightly bound to the health of its herds, getting this right is not optional — it is essential.

Agriculture

Kenya’s Flower Industry Defies Global Headwinds with Record IFTEX Participation

Kenya’s floriculture sector is heading into the International Floriculture Trade Expo (IFTEX) 2026 with a show of confidence that few industries can match. Scheduled for June 2 to 4, this year’s edition will bring together 210 exhibitors — the highest number ever recorded in the event’s history — up from 189 participants the year before. The milestone signals that investor belief in Kenya’s flower industry remains firm, even as the sector wrestles with serious global headwinds.

Kenya’s flowers remain a powerhouse for the national economy. In 2025, the sector generated approximately Ksh 110 billion — equivalent to USD 845 million — in export earnings, accounting for 1.5 percent of the country’s GDP. Behind those figures are more than one million Kenyans whose livelihoods depend on the industry, with women making up over 60 percent of that workforce. Globally, Kenya commands around 38 percent of the European Union’s cut rose market and shipped flowers to 143 destinations worldwide last year, with roses alone making up 69 percent of total flower exports.

Yet the path forward is far from smooth. Air freight costs — the lifeline of Kenya’s time-sensitive flower trade — have climbed sharply from USD 3.10 per kilogram to close to USD 5.00 per kilogram. During peak shipping periods, logistics expenses can swallow up to 60 percent of total export costs, a burden that squeezes profit margins dangerously thin. Compounding the pressure, ongoing geopolitical instability in the Middle East has disrupted supply chains and unsettled market confidence in key export corridors.

On the farm level, conditions are equally punishing. Fertilizer prices jumped by 25 percent within a single week, straining the budgets of growers big and small across the country. Some farms have reported revenue declines of as much as 75 percent, tied directly to shipment delays that leave perishable blooms arriving too late or in poor condition to fetch good prices. For thousands of Kenyan families whose income depends on the sector, these numbers translate into real hardship.

Industry analysts are sounding the alarm over what sustained disruptions could mean for the broader economy. Should current pressures continue without urgent intervention, monthly export losses could top USD 15 million. Most worrying is the threat to employment — around 50,000 jobs stand at risk if the situation deteriorates further, with the impact falling hardest on rural communities where flower farms are often the primary source of income.

Despite the turbulence, players across the sector are refusing to surrender Kenya’s hard-won status as a global floriculture leader. The record-breaking IFTEX exhibitor count is widely seen as a statement of intent — growers, exporters, and investors choosing to show up rather than step back. The industry’s longer-term game plan centres on diversifying into new markets beyond traditional European buyers while deepening commitments to sustainable farming practices, moves that could unlock premium market access and keep Kenya’s competitive edge sharp for years to come.

Agriculture

IFTEX 2026 Opens in Nairobi as Kenya’s Flower Industry Pushes for Growth and Sustainability

Nairobi has once again become the global nerve centre of the floriculture trade, with the 13th International Flower Trade Exhibition — IFTEX 2026 — officially opening its doors to industry players, government representatives, and international buyers. Held under the theme “Shaping the Future of Floriculture,” the exhibition drew 210 exhibitors and hundreds of buyers from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, and the Americas, underscoring Kenya’s pivotal role in the worldwide flower trade.

Kenya’s commanding presence in the global flowers market was front and centre throughout the opening. The country holds Africa’s top spot as a flower exporter, leads the world in supplying roses to the European Union, and ranks third globally in cut flower exports overall. Beyond the prestige, the numbers tell an equally compelling story — the sector brings in roughly Ksh 110 billion in export earnings each year and provides direct employment to more than 200,000 Kenyans.

Cabinet Secretary Lee Kinyanjui addressed delegates and made clear that floriculture sits firmly on the government’s economic agenda. He described flowers as embodying “jobs and livelihoods, enterprise and innovation, foreign exchange earnings” for Kenya, and pledged that the state would continue working to upgrade logistics infrastructure and widen access to new markets. His remarks came even as the industry faces mounting pressure from rising freight costs and tightening regulatory requirements from key importing nations.

The strength of Kenya’s trade ties with Europe was underscored by the EU representative, who confirmed that Kenya accounts for more than 40 percent of all cut flowers imported into the European Union. That trade relationship is valued at over €500 million annually, making it a cornerstone of Kenya’s foreign exchange earnings and a partnership both sides have a clear interest in deepening.

Exhibition organiser HPP International and Kenya Flower Council leadership used the platform to press for a more future-proof approach to the business of flowers. They pointed to sustainable farming practices, carbon-conscious operations, and fairer distribution of value across the supply chain — from farmhands on Kenyan soil to wholesale buyers in far-flung markets — as non-negotiable priorities if the industry is to remain competitive in the years ahead.

As IFTEX 2026 gets underway, the gathering signals that Kenya is not content simply to hold its ground in global floriculture. With government commitment on logistics, a multi-billion-shilling export engine, and an industry-wide conversation about sustainability and fair trade, Kenya’s flower sector is positioning itself to shape — not merely participate in — the future of the global trade it has long helped define.

Agriculture

24 Tonnes of Cotton Seed Delivered to Busia Farmers as Revival Drive Gathers Pace

Farmers in Busia County are set to benefit from a fresh boost to their livelihoods after receiving 24 tonnes of cotton seed, the first portion of a planned 100-tonne consignment earmarked for the county. The delivery marks a significant step in Kenya Kwanza’s ongoing push to restore cotton farming as a cornerstone of western Kenya’s agricultural economy.

Three farmer cooperatives in the county are the primary beneficiaries of the seed consignment, with distribution managed through an e-voucher system designed to ensure accountability and get inputs directly into the right hands. The structured rollout is seen as critical to avoiding leakages that have undermined previous agricultural support programmes in the region.

At the centre of the supply chain is Vistari — formerly known as Rivatex — which has entered into off-take agreements with Busia and other cotton-growing counties across the country. Under the arrangement, Vistari not only supplies farming inputs but also commits to purchasing all the cotton produced by participating farmers. So far, the company has procured 1,500 metric tonnes of Open Pollinated Variety seed for distribution to farmers countrywide.

The revival push appears to be bearing fruit. More than 200,000 households across Kenya have returned to cotton farming following coordinated efforts between national and county governments. Prices for seed cotton have also more than doubled — rising from 32 shillings per kilogram three years ago to 72 shillings today — giving farmers a far stronger financial incentive to invest in the crop.

Infrastructure improvements are also underway to complement the renewed interest in cotton. The Luanda Ginnery has received a 150-million-shilling upgrade and is now processing eight bales of cotton lint alongside 20 litres of seed cake oil every day, significantly boosting the county’s capacity to absorb increased output from farms as production scales up.

Further along the value chain, work is progressing on an industrial park and an export processing zone in Nasewa, within Matayos Constituency. The facilities are intended to unlock value-addition opportunities for the county, shifting Busia beyond raw cotton production toward finished goods that command stronger prices on regional and international markets.

On the ground, extension officers have been deployed county-wide to guide farmers on best practices, while an agripreneur model has placed seven trained and fully equipped representatives in each ward. The hands-on approach is designed to bridge the gap between modern agricultural techniques and smallholder farmers as the sector builds on its recovery.

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