AU: Macadamia growers learn how to increase production, opportunities
Strong prices and global demand (especially in Asia, and helped by recent free trade agreements between Australia and Japan, Korea and China as well as the launch of a $1million Australian Macadamias marketing campaign in China) means the time is right for growers to take advantage of the opportunities on offer.
Australia leads the world in the production of premium macadamia kernel, and recently a group of Australia’s best macadamia growers, consultants, agronomists and scientific researchers undertook an important Investigative Study Tour of the country’s best macadamia orchards, in a bid to identify the key opportunities that exist for Aussie growers to further increase their production and profitability.
This week the findings from the Investigative Study Tour will be presented at the Australian Macadamia Society's (AMS) MacGroup grower workshops (scheduled in each major growing region) and coming to Glass House Mountains on Tues 8 Dec, Gympie on Wed 9 Dec and Bundaberg on Thur 10 Dec. More than 300 macadamia growers are expected to attend the workshops (which kicked off in NSW last week) on some of Queensland’s high-performing orchards.
Growers attending the Macgroups will find out what the high producing orchards have in common with regards to soil health, tree nutrition and fertilising. Key industry experts will deliver the final recommendations on the opportunities for growers to increase production and profitability in these areas.
In attendance will be AMS CEO Jolyon Burnett and AMS Productivity Development Officer Robbie Commens. Robbie recently took out the national 'Young Professional' award at the Australasia-Pacific Extension Network (APEN) conference in Adelaide.
The QLD MacGroups are sponsored by gold sponsor Netafim (who will deliver a case study and presentation on the latest technical developments in irrigation and fertilisation) and silver sponsor Macadamias Direct.
The Investigative Study tour and MacGroups are coordinated by the industry’s peak body, the AMS, and funded by Australia’s 650+ Australian macadamia growers via an industry levy through Horticulture Innovation Australia.
For more information:
Nyree Epplett
Australian Macadamia Society
Tel: +61 2 6622 4933
Fax: +61 2 6622 4932
Email: nyree.epplett@macadamias.org
www.australian-macadamias.org