Three years ago, macadamia nut grower Graham Wessling faced challenges breaking even, but he now sees potential shifts in the industry. "We're coming off the back of COVID and some lower prices but we're pulling out of that," he stated. "I'm confident that the seasons ahead are going to be onward and upward."
Australia, according to the Australian Macadamia Society (AMS), is on track to nearly double its annual macadamia production within five years. Global production is also on the rise, with Wessling, who manages 1,200 hectares in New South Wales and Queensland, noting a strong consumer demand for macadamias. "I think there's such a huge taste for macadamias worldwide that we can always feed that market," he mentioned. He emphasized the role of the AMS marketing team in maintaining market presence and addressing concerns about over-planting.
In 2024, Australian farmers harvested 57,000 tons of macadamias amidst price challenges. A forecast predicts a crop nearing 100,000 tons by 2029. AMS chief executive Clare Hamilton-Bate highlighted this growth as theoretical, influenced by climate and business decisions. The World Macadamia Organisation anticipates global production to grow by about 10% annually.
Hamilton-Bate noted recovering prices and demand from the declines of 2022, with efforts to secure and expand markets, including India. "There are some great opportunities there with the massive population of nut-eating communities, plant-based diets, [who are] familiar with many nuts," she observed.
Australia has 44,000 hectares of macadamia trees, with plantings more than doubling in eight years. Queensland now accounts for 70% of the national crop. In Bundaberg, 50% of the national crop is produced, with ongoing new plantings. "Bundaberg itself is at 50 per cent of the national crop and only two-thirds of those trees are bearing," Hamilton-Bate noted.
Johan Oosthuizen, managing a 260-hectare orchard in Bundaberg, remarked on planting confidence, despite price challenges. "We've actually planted out all the land that we have available to us," he said. "Prices certainly do need to improve a little bit more to keep that confidence there."
Henrik Christiansen, the sole grower in Rockhampton, sees potential growth with water security from the Rookwood Weir. A new entrant, Rural Funds Management, plans to convert cattle grazing land to macadamia orchards. Christiansen expressed no concern about a glut, noting macadamias' small share of the global tree nut market. "We're only really exporting to seven to eight markets globally in large volumes," he stated, emphasizing potential demand growth.
Source: ABC News