Kenya has unveiled plans to revive its struggling cashew nut industry in a major push aimed at creating about 350,000 jobs and injecting an estimated Sh30 billion into the economy.
Agriculture and Livestock Development Cabinet Secretary Mutahi Kagwe said the decline in cashew nut production over the years has resulted in massive job losses, reduced household incomes, and shrinking export earnings, despite strong global demand for the crop.
Speaking after consultations with cashew nut farmers and processors in Kilifi County, Kagwe noted that the downturn has hit coastal communities hard, even though Kenya has favourable climatic conditions, available land, established international markets, and underutilised processing facilities.
He said farmers have consistently raised concerns over low yields and persistent plant diseases, challenges that have discouraged production and forced many growers to abandon the crop.
“Farmers have complained about declining yields and disease pressure. Research has responded, and the solutions are ready,” Kagwe said.
Currently, Kenya produces only about 13,000 tonnes of cashew nuts annually, far below its installed processing capacity of 45,000 tonnes. Kagwe noted that this gap has cost the country hundreds of thousands of potential jobs while undermining the livelihoods of families that once depended on the crop along the coast.
The government’s revival strategy will focus on scientific research, improved seed varieties, and direct support to farmers. The programme is being spearheaded by the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), with its Mtwapa Centre playing a central role in cashew nut research and development.
Kagwe said KALRO has already developed a new disease-resistant cashew variety capable of doubling yields. About 20,000 seedlings have been prepared for distribution to farmers during the upcoming long rainy season. In addition, four more improved varieties are at advanced stages of development and are expected to be ready within the next six months.
The cashew nut revival plan is expected to restore confidence among farmers, expand processing activities, and re-establish cashew as a key driver of economic growth and employment in Kenya’s coastal region.
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