Macadamia raises hope for struggling farmers

For many years, Joseph Nguruma has been growing maize on five acres in the semi-arid Solai in Subukia, Nakuru County, with little success.

Despite spending a fortune on fertilisers, seeds and other inputs, his yields have never surpassed 20 bags.

For Ms Jecinta Kirubi, a tomato farmer in the region, her yields have also been declining. And to compound her woes, she is forced to sell her produce to middlemen at a throwaway price.

"A crate of tomatoes goes at between Sh3,000 and Sh3,500 in the retail market in Nakuru town but middlemen buy from me at Sh2,500," she recounts.

Many farmers in the region share their predicament, but this is set to change, according to the Agriculture executive Immaculate Maina. The county has launched a programme to ensure farmers diversify their ventures to enable them to reap from their sweat.

"We are urging farmers in Nakuru County to diversify from maize and potatoes to crops like macadamia, which has the potential to give them good money," said Maina.

According to her, a farmer can harvest up to three tonnes of macadamia nuts per acre at a low production cost as compared to tea, coffee and maize.

Governor Lee Kinyanjui recently toured farms in Solai to encourage smallholder farmers to diversify from traditional crops.

Kinyanjui said he was doing the tour to identify areas where farmers can grow macadamia.

"I was impressed by the farming practices employed on one macadamia farm, including use of mechanisation. There is a bright future in macadamia," he said.

The county has so far distributed 14,000 macadamia seedlings and set aside Sh5 million for the purchase of more seedlings in the next financial year through the Crop Diversification Programme.

Kenya is the third top producer of macadamia in the world after South Africa and Australia. The growing export market in the United States and Europe allows room for more farmers in Nakuru County to join this trade.

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