The Australian macadamia industry is flourishing as tree sales soar, with as many as 2.5 million trees to be established across growing regions in Queensland and New South Wales over the next few years.
The Queensland government has provided strong backing to support this endeavour, minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries and minister for Rural Communities, Mark Furner, said.
“Sales of four new Department of Agriculture and Fisheries-licensed varieties had doubled year on year since 2017,” he said, on a visit to Lindols Macadamias at Goomboorian.
“To ensure that growers can access sufficient licensed varieties, 21 nurseries have been accredited to provide planting material. All of the major tree varieties commercially grown in Australia have been extensively evaluated through trials led by DAF.
“New varieties are being developed under the national breeding and evaluation program led by DAF and the University of Queensland’s Queensland Alliance for Agriculture and Food Innovation (QAAFI).”
These projects were funded by Hort Innovation through the Macadamia R&D Fund, with co-investment by the Queensland government and its research partners.
The state government is working closely with industry to support this rapid expansion, according to Furner.
“The Australian Macadamia Society estimates that by 2025, nut-in-shell production will grow from about 50,000 tonnes to 75,000 tonnes,” Furner said.
“About three quarters of that yield is exported and the return for Queensland could potentially be in excess of $200 million based on current prices. But we can’t have a strong macadamia industry without a strong health response to COVID-19.
“That’s why the Palaszczuk government has released a Vaccine Plan to unite families and protect Queenslanders from Delta. I encourage all eligible Queenslanders in the agriculture sector to get vaccinated as soon as possible.”