KZN’s macadamia nut treasure

Mayo Macs held their annual Top Grower Awards at the Darnall Country Club on February 18, which led to much excitement and anticipation on the North Coast.

The awards are held in the macadamia growing regions that include Northern and Southern KZN, Nelspruit and Levubu with the top growers being awarded in each region.

Among the winners was Wally Klar from Tad Poles in Stanger, who won the Mayo Macs floating trophy for the overall top South African Mayo Macs grower.

It is the first time that a North Coast farmer has won this prize.

The global nut trading company’s CEO, PJ Venter was happy to announce the positive statistics of the macadamia market and Mayo Macs’ incredible growth.

What is unique to Mayo Macs, is that the growers have a 50% shareholding and can become part of the supply chain.

“At the moment there are good margins but these get eroded over time and processors look to add value to maintain profits. Traditionally the farmer is excluded unless they are a shareholder, however Mayo Macs growers are shareholders so they enjoy the value added benefits,” said Venter.

Given the investment made into bringing an orchard into full production, it’s important that a farmer maintains control over their produce all the way to the consumer and is part of strategic decisions that affect their livelihood.

For this reason, international trader, Kees Blokland, gave a presentation on the trading threats and opportunities of macadamias worldwide and assured the growers that their investment is safe.

Mayo Macs produce about 7 000 tons of macadamia nuts per year nationwide and according to Venter, the production is growing by about 20% per year.

“KZN has been identified as the best macadamia nut growing area in the world,” he said.

With this in mind and looking at the ever increasing demand for the delicious nuts, more and more sugar cane farmers are growing macadamias.

“There is currently a three year waiting list for macadamia trees,” said Venter.