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Macadamia growers making ‘right decisions’
Australia’s Macadamia growers still expect to yield a record crop despite heavy rain in recent weeks as the market price holds firm. New plantings are also set to increase. “We’re still expecting to get 47,000 tonnes of Macadamias in-shell in the 2015 season,” said Jolyon Burnett, CEO of the Australian Macadamia Society. “There is still room for improvement. The average yield on farm is 2.7 tonnes per hectare. Some of the best performing orchards have reached yields of up to 6 tonnes per hectare though,” he added. “If we can increase that average tonnage to 3 per hectare, we could get a crop of more than 50,000 tonnes in the future.”
Over the past two to three years there have been 1500 hectares of new plantings for Macadamias, some of that concentrated around Bundaberg, the fastest growing Macadamia nut production area in the country. While the new plantings are a good sign, Mr Burnett says that the increased yield, and the ability to satisfy demand actually comes from better handling of existing orchards. “Growers are learning to make the right decisions at the right time when it comes to planting, spraying, fertilizing and the like,” says Mr Burnett. “They’re not ‘sexy’ changes, but they’re certainly having the right result.”
Sustained very strong demand in China, growth in Europe and a recovery on the horizon for the US markets have all contributed to an increased demand for macadamia exports from Australia, Mr Burnett says.
The growth in demand will help the industry make up for the loss of around 5% of the nuts waiting to be picked in the NSW Northern Rivers region following flash flooding in the area two weeks ago. “We don’t believe that the heavy rain will have a significant impact on the crop nationally,” said Mr Burnett. That is not to downplay the fact that some individual farmers have suffered 30% plus crop losses, he adds.