As a result of the oversight of different governments, the mountainous area of la Sierra (San José de las Matas) is totally devastated by the indiscriminate cutting of trees and shrubs by nomadic farmers temporally associated with amateur ranchers.
Thanks to several years experience with macadamia crops, producers are certain that the hills of San José de las Matas are the ideal place to grow this interesting forest fruit tree.
This crop could be the permanent afforestation and productivity solution for this important mountainous area.
Interest in producing
There is great interest in planting this fruit tree because of its abundant production of fruits (seeds) and because of how it protects the soil and the local ecology. Macadamia producers that buy their plantings from the La Loma company are also purchasing the most advanced technology.
The plants offered by this company are grafted into patterns of the macadamia tetrafila species. These plants have an abundant root system that is resistant to soils with inappropriate conditions.
The tetrafila patterns are grafted with the 508 and 246 Hawaiian varieties that have a high productivity and quality. Both varieties belong to the macadamia integrifolia species. These trees have the capacity to produce more than 4 quintals of products per tree and producers can plant 14 to 15 macadamia trees per afternoon.
A quintal of macadamia costs $3,000 RD. Thus, a hectare of macadamia can yield $ 180,000 RD per year. Macadamia is a highly profitable crop and a macadamia plantation can be productive for up to 80 years. The area of la Sierra is mostly made up of good soils and almost sandy terrain. The kind of soil needed to increase productivity and fruit quality.
According to Engineer Luis Hernandez, the country produces organic macadamia. This tree has few natural enemies, such as the nuts borer, the stem borer, and the Nezara viridulabedbug.
The country has between 3,500 and 4,000 hectares devoted to macadamia crops. Currently, there are a lot of people interested in planting macadamia in large areas.
Source: listindiario.com