The macadamia industry is up and coming in areas that have traditionally been sugar cane regions. From Malelane in Mpumalanga to Pongola in KwaZulu-Natal, sugar cane is being replaced by these nuts. In fact, the macadamia industry has offered highly attractive investment opportunities during the past few years. With prices increasing significantly and an apparently insatiable demand, the crop has provided good returns for farmers in the Lowveld of Limpopo and Mpumalanga, and on KwaZulu-Natal’s South Coast.
Now farmers further north in KZN are expanding their farms to include nut orchards. South Africa’s macadamia industry is expanding by over 3 000ha/year and the planted area has reached around 30,000 ha. With much more arable land available, this region is set to become one of the largest for macadamia production in the country.
Source: farmersweekly.co.za