W29: Macadamia Update

In W29 in the macadamia landscape, the global macadamia market, valued at USD 1.52 billion in 2022, is projected to reach USD 3.70 billion by 2032, exhibiting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.3% during the forecast period. The Vietnam Macadamia Association (VMA) has encouraged farmers in Nghệ An province to cultivate macadamia trees. Representatives from the VMA conducted workshops in rural areas to promote cultivation.

Kenyan macadamia farmers are optimistic as the government announced a macadamia price increase to USD 0.70/kg (KES 100/kg) within the next two weeks. Senators have advocated lifting the export ban on macadamia nuts to allow farmers to deal directly with outside markets. Also, the Ugandan Government, through the National Agriculture Advisory Service (NAADS), is actively promoting cultivating high-value crops, particularly macadamia and Hass avocado. NAADS has partnered with eight large-scale farmers to strengthen the value chains of these crops and support farmers to ensure successful cultivation. The partnership involves farmers contributing 30% of the seedling's cost while the government covers 70%. Since NAADS began supporting farmers with macadamia seedlings, 137.03 thousand seedlings have been distributed, and 739 hectares (ha) of macadamia have been established. Lastly, macadamia nut farmers in Zimbabwe are requesting the government to reduce the current 25% surrender portion on macadamia nut export receipts due to the impact of low prices. The Macadamia Producers Association of Zimbabwe (MPAZ) states that the high surrender portion has influenced the low prices, which discourages buyers from offering better prices. Farmers face challenges in procuring sufficient agro-inputs, resulting in inferior fruit quality and lower prices. Lowering the surrender portion is seen as a necessary intervention to attract higher prices in the international markets, particularly in countries like China, where demand for macadamia nuts is high.