Linturi promises better prices for macadamia nuts in a week

Agriculture Cabinet Secretary Mithika Linturi has promised macadamia farmers a solution to their ongoing price crisis within a week.

Speaking in Embu when he paid a courtesy call on Governor Cecily Mbarire, the CS said he has constituted the board of Agriculture and Food Authority (AFA) to find a solution to the lack of macadamia market within the county.

He said he'll host a meeting with the board on Thursday to ensure the farmers' produce won't end up in the hands of brokers.

Farmers have been urged to hold on to their produce, which is not a perishable good, for at least 10 days awaiting the AFA direction.

"Don’t sell your Macadamia at Sh20 to brokers and allow us to give the way forward after 10 days.  I don’t want the farmer’s products to go to waste due to low cost, thus through the AFA board, I’ll ensure we get the right terms,” he said.

Farmers in Embu have been forced to sell their macadamia for as low as Sh20 per kilo.

Agriculture and Food Authority is mandated to provide solution to agriculture products prices as well as marketing various value chain.

Linturi further added that government is committed to ensuring the farmers in the country benefits from their farms.

“Our government will ensure farmers from Embu benefit from their coffee, tea as well as Muguka and other agricultural fields. We’ll work with your governor to ensure farmers retain money in their pockets,” Linturi added.

Mbarire urged the residents who registered and received a notification on subsidised fertilisers to collect on Friday in various National Cereals and Produce Board stores.

The governor however, noted the county will continue to receive more fertiliser.

This comes after the county received 1,200 bags of subsidised fertiliser at the National Cereals and Produce Board stores on Monday.

“I would like to inform our farmers that we’ll continue receiving more fertilisers. The CS will be with us here on Friday to take charge in the launch of the fertilisers distribution,” she said.

Further, Mbarire said the fertilisers will be distributed in both the planting and the top dressing.   

-Edited by SKanyara