Macadamia is an old industry introduced into the country in the early 60s.The macadamia does well in areas such as Kirinyaga, Kiambu and Muranga, Eastern- Meru and Embu, Kakamega- Bukula and Bungoma counties.

The Macadamia is a beautiful tree, very forgiving and quit resilient to most climatic and weather conditions, accommodative for elderly people and the harvesting is not too labor intensive as you don’t need to climb a tree to pick the nuts, you can just wait for them to fall. The other factor making the Macadamia a very feasible product is the fact that the farmers can easily market their produce.

Currently, macadamia nut farmers sell their products to middlemen who link them with processing companies such as Kenya Nut Limited, Jungle Nut Limited amid others. Macadamia nuts can be eaten raw or processed to produce cooking fat. Its hard attractive shells are also used in the manufacturing of knife handles and other ornaments.

Macadamia tree is permanent unless affected by a disease like powdery mildew at flowering stage. Production starts at three and a half years for grafted varieties and seven years for local varieties. The main varieties planted in Embu region are Murang’a 20 which has been branded the name Mugumo in the area because of its good performance. It has a tendency of producing a few nuts year through after the main season and is the best yielding variety. The tree can produce an average of 70kgs under good management. The macadamia nut trees should be planted at a spacing of 7.5m by 7.5m.

Ecological Requirements

Altitude

It grows well at altitudes between 1,500-1,850 m. Macadamia tetraphylla and Macadamia hybrids are adapted to high altitudes and are more tolerant to cold than M. integrifolia.

Temperature

Macadamia nuts grows well at optimum temperature of 17-27°C.

Rainfall

Macadamia nuts performs well in a frost-free location with a minimum of 850 mm of evenly distributed rainfall that may be supplemented with irrigation.

Soils

The optimum soil pH should be 5-6. Seedlings should be planted in deep, well-drained, fertile soils. Waterlogged conditions or soils with high salt concentrations should be avoided.

Windbreak

Establishment of windbreaks is recommended especially in areas with strong winds and artificial windbreaks including tree offcuts may be used. Windbreaks are effective in reducing wind speed on the downwind side for a distance up to 20 times the height of the trees (H), depending on the species and windbreak density.

Macadamia nut propagation

Macadamia nut is easily propagated using seed but the progeny takes 8-12 years to start bearing nuts and tend to produce low yields. Moreover, the nut quality is unpredictable because the crop is highly heterozygous. Grafting is necessary in order to obtain true-to-type clones and hasten reproductive maturity Propagation

1. Propagation

Propagation needs plenty of monitoring and doing the proper issue at the proper time, as well as watering and spacing. One should even be trained to confirm that one will differentiate between types of macadamia nuts by looking on them before planting and at the young stage, to making sure that there’s no mistake once marketing the seedlings to farmers.

1. Timing

Right from the nursery, correct records should be kept. Transplant the seedlings once the plant has 2 full leaves and a bud, whereas guaranteeing that they’re properly uprooted, handled and transported to wherever they’ll be planted in the polyethylene bag.

1. Spacing

The recommended spacing is 10 meters squared, that adds up to about seventy trees per acre. Congesting the trees affects nuts production, because the branches can interlock, and hence denying them enough exposure to the sun and the ideal conditions for flowering and nuts production.

1. Management

Farmers are also prone to abandoning their trees after planting. The trees need crucial care such as weeding, especially when young and prone to suffocation by overgrown weeds, since at these point their shades cannot suppress weeds. Manure &fertilizer should be applied at least once a year. Pruning should also be done regularly and with caution with pruning. It should be done using pruning scissors not using a machete.

1. pests and disease management

The macadamia tree is relatively disease-resistant. Some farmers tend to use chemicals to manage pests and insects, which is horribly wrong as it might compromise the quality of the nut. Manage your macadamia nut using smoke. Light a fire about 2 meters away from the stem, while watching out the flames are not large enough to burn the leaves. We recommend adding vegetative material that produce heavy and bitter smoke. The bitter smoke can penetrate throughout the macadamia tree and effectively manage pests and insects.

1. Harvesting and storage

Many farmers and processors encounter immense losses attributable to poor harvesting methods, seed collection and post-harvest handling. Poor harvesting and storage methods causes the nut to losses quantity by over 90% at times. Never harvest premature macadamia nuts, it’s advisable to collect them from the ground and deliver them to the market as shortly as possible to avoid compromising their quality storing them at home for long periods can end degrading their quality.

The nuts can develop molds, just as they do when harvested immature. Harvest and post-harvest are very crucial stages. When harvested, nuts should be stored in raised sisal bags and not polythene bags. Place the sacks on well-laid out timber planks to that ensure they do get into contact with water or any sort of humidity- a cool dry place as they call it.

Macadamia farming has great economic potential for poverty reduction due to the high value of its produce and byproducts, its forgiving ecological requirements and low demand for external inputs makes it an ideal economic generator for most Kenyans. Although the crop has been grown in the country for over 5 decades, the growth of the industry still cannot satisfy the demand and market potential that exists.

Problems facing Macadamia farming

Some of the challenges facing the macadamia industry in Kenya include:-

1. lack of cultivars adapted to various agro-ecological zones
2. inadequate planting materials of high quality, high cost of the available good quality planting materials
3. Pests and diseases that affect nuts thus lowering post-harvest quality.

These problems can be easily handled by the average Kenyan Macadamia farmer by sourcing knowledge about the ecological conditions of their intended area of farming, sourcing for grafted seedlings and following our guidelines for pest and disease control and making sure the harvesting and storage is done correctly.

The potential of agricultural biotechnology is relevant to genetic improvement of macadamia to compliment other efforts for its productivity and value. The macadamia tree offers excellent food nutrition security to children. The farmers say the product fetches better prices than coffee and tea regardless of how often they are harvested.

Macadamia farming has a bright future in Kenya, earning farmers millions, despite the challenges facing the sector. Book your grafted macadamia seedlings today and we will deliver them to you in any part of Kenya.