Australian macadamia annual production hits a new record, prices remain firm
For Australian macadamia (also known as “Australian nut”) growers, 2015 will be a year of bumper harvest, with national macadamia production reaching the highest record in history. At present, the production of in-shell nuts with a moisture content of 10% is 48,300 tonnes (45,100 tonnes at a moisture content of 3.5%), up 10% from last year's total production.
ACB News Australia China Business Review reported that although macadamia quality varied among producing regions, Australian processors generally said that the overall quality of the national macadamia crop in 2015 remained good. Jolyon Burnett, executive director and chief executive of the Australian Macadamia Society (AMS), attributed the high yield and excellent quality of Australian nuts this season to natural conditions with suitable temperature and humidity in each producing region and a relatively long harvest season.
The final record-breaking Australian macadamia production in 2015 was due not only to climate factors but also to price factors. Mr Burnett pointed out that current macadamia market prices were relatively favorable, and the harvest season continued until September. At the same time, driven by firm prices, growers made greater efforts this season to maintain soil health and promote organic matter incorporation in order to increase production. To increase root volume and promote tree growth, producers also applied large amounts of filter mud and waste furnace ash.
Mr Burnett pointed out that macadamia production in all producing regions across the country remained at a high level. By region, nuts produced in the Northern Rivers of New South Wales accounted for as much as 50% of the national total output; Bundaberg in Queensland also performed well, with total production again achieving substantial growth on the basis of its relatively high output in 2014, rising to 30% of Australia's total production; other new producing regions also performed well, such as the Emerald region in Queensland, where total macadamia production in high-yield areas was 1,000 tonnes, accounting for 2% of total output.
Public information from the Australian Macadamia Society shows that Australia is the world's third-largest macadamia producer, accounting for about 30% of the global market share, with export markets covering more than 40 countries. In Australia, commercial macadamia production began in 1974 and has developed and prospered continuously over 40 years. At present, there are more than 850 macadamia growers in Australia, producing about 40,000 tonnes of in-shell macadamias annually.
In recent years, as demand in the Chinese market for Australian in-shell nuts has continued to increase, the Australian macadamia industry's trade relationship with the Chinese market has become closer. At present, Australia's total macadamia exports to China already account for nearly 1/4 of Australia's total production. In late November this year, in order to deeply expand the Chinese consumer market, Australian macadamia industry institutions invested millions of Australian dollars and went to first-tier cities such as Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in China to carry out product promotion activities, aiming to occupy China's high-end nut market.