Kenyan Authorities Deport Eight Cartels for Exploiting Macadamia Farmers

Kenyan authorities have deported eight alleged macadamia cartels accused of exploiting local farmers, Cooperatives and MSMEs Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui has said.

Speaking in Gichugu, Kirinyaga County on Thursday, Chelugui said the move will help macadamia farmers to get better prices for their produce.

The cabinet secretary said the foreigners were acting as middlemen, buying the nuts at lower prices from the farmers and preventing them from getting better market prices.

“We have had foreigners who have been traversing the country and buying macadamia including the unripe ones from our farmers. That is why when our farmers fail to get a market for their produce, they sell them at throwaway prices,” he said.

“Those eight to nine people, we chased them away last week…they have all been deported.”

Chelugui reiterated the Kenya Kwanza administration’s commitment to eliminating brokers and cartels from the market to cushion farmers from exploitation and guarantee them better prices.

“We want to recognize the macadamia and I think the Agriculture Minister will be making some pronouncements on how we want to restore the prices of macadamia to where we were before,” he stated.

“The Sh250 per kilo is a complete shame. We allowed this crop to be taken over by cartels who ended up now been abusing farmers. The people have been eliminated and we are coming up with a new and reorganized way of pricing and marketing macadamia.”

Early this month, Trade CS Moses Kuria temporarily lifted the ban on the export of raw macadamia nuts to offer growers better prices.

“We are lifting the ban on the exportation of raw macadamia nuts for one year to bring into the country other buyers from all over the world. This will open the markets for competitiveness allowing farmers to sell to the highest buyers,” Kuria said.

Section 43 of the Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) Act prohibited the exportation of raw nuts.