Trade and Investment Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria has lifted the ban on the exportation of raw macadamia for one year in a bid to open up the markets.
Speaking in Kirinyaga, Kuria said that the current prices of Macadamia nuts had gone as low as Ksh 20 per kilogram which he termed exploitation by the traders against the farmers.
Kuria said that the lifting of the ban on the exportation of raw nuts will bring into the country other buyers from all over the world and thus opening the markets for competitiveness and all the farmers to sell to the highest buyers.
“If you pay someone Sh20 how will they take their child to school? How will they buy food?” he paused.
The CS said that the law banning the exportation of raw nuts was to ensure that all the nuts are processed in the country, thus boosting industrialization and creating employment opportunities.
Kuria said that the traders in the macadamia industry have been exploiting farmers and thus the need to open up the markets and ensure farmers get value for their money.
According to Kuria, the suspension of the ban will attract buyers from all over the world thus allowing farmers to sell their nuts at higher prices.
