Macadamia SA Winter Edition

DORRAN 

BUNGAY 

ON HIS 

NEW 

BOOK 

ARTIFICIAL 

INTELLIGENCE 

BREAKS NEW 

GROUND 

MAC 

GROWTH A 

THREAT TO 

BIODIVERSITY 

Winter 2018

Contents 

PRODUCERS OF GUARANTEED HIGH QUALITY MACADAMIA TREES 

GLOBALGAP - SAMAC 

2 

4 

From the Editor 

Gareth Wright 

Artificial Intelligence 

To Monitor Macadamia Tree Health 

Editor 

Gareth Wright 

072 223 3498 

gareth@blockmedia.co.za 

Advertising 

Laura Myers 

083 271 5243 

laura@macadamiasa.co.za 

Design & Layout 

Elizabeth-Ann Bradley 

hello.elizabethann@gmail.com 

10 

14 

18 

Do We Have Enough Water 

For All Our Macs? 

International Airport 

Extends Flight Path 

To Include Macs 

Macadamia Prices 

Higher Than Ever 

As Demand Grows 

www.macadamiasa.co.za 

Cover Image 

Drone operator Ryan Hermann 

shows Zululand macadamia 

farmer, Ant Bennett, left and 

Mayo Macs Technical Manager, 

Andrew Sheard, how a drone 

is used to take aerial images 

of his orchards. 

Image Colleen Dardagan 

22 

24 

Growers Urged To 

Report Pest Sightings 

To Boost Research 

Illegal Orchard 

Development Warning 

For Macadamia Farmers 

This publication is 

protected by copyright law. 

No part of this publication 

may be reproduced in any way 

without the permission and 

acknowledgement of Macadamia 

South Africa. Opinions expressed 

do not necessarily represent the 

views of Macadamia South Africa 

or the publishers. 

Published By 

Block Media 

Po Box 1501 

Simbithi, Ballito 

4390 

Printed By 

26 

30 

32 

34 

Bats 

The Farmer’s Little Helper 

Shining Light 

On Tree Pruning 

Hi-Tech Feed Plan 

Produces Top Grade Nuts 

Macadamia Expert Launches Book 

A Wide-Ranging Post-Harvest 

& Pioneering Guide 

CONTACT MOUNTAINVIEW NURSERY 

orders@mountainviewnursery.co.za 

Stefan (M) 071 608 9151 (Facsimile) 086 623 2590 

5-STAR ACCREDITED 

NURSERY 

a Novus 

Holdings 

Company 

36 

Industry 

Nuts & Bolts 

WWW.MOUNTAINVIEWNURSERY.CO.ZA

From the Editor 

Gareth 

Wright 

Here we go gathering nuts in September and 

from all the reports I am receiving there’s a 

hang of a lot of them - in fact, the South 

African Macadamia Growers’ Association 

(SAMAC) says it’s going to be the biggest 

crop in the industry’s 30-year history! 

The impressive estimate is for more than 53 000mt dry nutin-shell 

which should Produce at least 16 200mt kernel for 

export if the entire crop is cracked. And the predictions are 

apparently in line with growth forecasts set at about 60 000mt 

nut-in-shell by the end of next year’s season, putting South 

Africa at the top of the pile of exporters of the crop in the world 

followed by Australia and Kenya. Seems like it’s good news 

all round with the global crop estimated at 240 000mt with 

22 450mt coming out of China. At least 80% of the global 

nut-in-shell crop is exported to China and a 60% increase in 

tree nut consumption has been measured worldwide over the 

last five years. 

Yet another positive is research which has shown that at least 

10% of the population in the United States and Europe are 

vegan and that is reflected in the growing demand for tree 

nuts in these countries. 

Multicote® Agri (8) Juvenile: 

The solution for growing new orchards 

Colleen Dardagan 

Contributing Author 

Lindi Botha 

Contributing Author 

Jill Whyte from the Green Farms Nut Company (GFNC), 

says South Africa now has the volumes to market directly 

to supermarkets in the United States and to retailers in 

Germany. Whyte, who was addressing growers at a recent 

GFNC industry day on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast, said 

while questions were being asked as to whether there could 

be a macadamia nut glut, she said just one supermarket in 

the US could take South Africa’s entire crop. Oversupply, she 

said, was “definitely not an issue”. 

In this, the third edition of our magazine, we look at 

unlawful land clearing for the development of new orchards 

and a warning from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife about threats to 

biodiversity in the province stemming from the development 

of new macadamia orchards. 

In another article, bat experts from the University of Venda 

say the creatures are of great assistance to farmers in the 

control of stink bug infestations but warn that the impact of 

increasing land development and pesticide use in orchards is 

putting the nocturnal mammals’ populations under pressure. 

We also feature industry expert Dorran Bungay’s new book 

launched earlier this year which offers an extensive and indepth 

guide to the intricacies of macadamia nut production 

and processing. 

A single application of Multicote® Agri controlled-release fertilizer provides your 

young trees with a balanced nutrition over months, supporting establishment and 

enhancing growth. 

1. Moisture penetrates 

the polymer capsule 

2. The moisture 

dissolvesthe nutrients 

in the capsule 

3. Nutrients are released 

into the soil by diffusion. 

Soil temperature controls 

the rate of release. 

Nutrition matches growth needs ● Better nutrient use efficiency 

Labor saving ● Nutrient availability independent of irrigation 

Laura Myers 

Advertising 

Enjoy the read. 

Reg. Nr. K 8834 (Act 36 of 1947) 

Pioneering the Future 

2 

Haifa South Africa 

PO Box 1409, Brackenfell, 7561, South Africa | Tel: 021 982 0309 | Fax: 021 981 7637 | www.haifa-group.com

Artificial 

Intelligence 

To Monitor Macadamia 

Tree Health 

Article & Images 


Macadamia farmers across KwaZulu-Natal are 

participating in a hi-tech application trial that is not 

only using satellite imagery but drone imagery to measure 

the health of their trees and, will be smart enough to 

warn them of pending pest or disease infestations. 

The drone imagery is also being used to count the 

macadamia trees in the province as processing company, 

Mayo Macs looks to perfect harvest predictions. 

The use of drone imagery or artificial intelligence to monitor macadamia 

orchard health is now underway in KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalanga. The 

trial to help finalise this innovation is currently taking place through a 

unique partnership between processors Mayo Macs, Nedbank Corporate 

and Investment Bank and the data analysis company, Aerobotics. 

The cloud based web app Aeroview, which has already been successfully 

used in the citrus industry for the past four years and is in the process 

of being launched in the United States, gathers orchard data using aerial 

imagery and machine learning algorithms. The trial involves the use of 

drones to map the orchards using imagery which is then uploaded to the 

Aerobotics platform before being analysed in high resolution and relayed 

to each grower. The satellite data is available on a weekly basis to growers 

using the application and to supplement the drone data to monitor general 

orchard health and moisture levels. Also, data captured using the Aeroview 

Scout App which detects pests and diseases in the trees, is being used to 

plan and execute orchard scout missions and the data is then synced to the 

growers web platform for planning of pest and disease spray programs. 

Top The drones used to 

capture orchard images 

cost over R100 000 and 

carry the most sophisticated 

camera equipment. 

Above Ryan Hermann from 

Over the Top Photography 

shows Zululand macadamia 

nut farmer, Ant Bennett and 

Technical Manager for Mayo 

Macs, Andrew Sheard, how 

the Aerobotics app can guide 

them to trees in the orchard 

that show up on the imagery as 

either diseased or stressed. 

Far Left Andrew Sheard 

shows how the Aerobotics 

Intelligent Scouting app can 

be used to accurately report 

pest and diseases found on 

individual trees. 

Left Drone operator, Ryan 

Hermann illustrates how 

precise the imagery is of each 

orchard and how through 

colours ranging from dark 

green to red, the health of the 

trees can be measured. 

Above Ryan Hermann of Over the Top Photography prepares a drone for flight over orchards in Zululand as part of a trial 

to map and count the number of macadamia trees planted by farmers supplying their harvest to processors Mayo Macs. 

4 

MACADAMIA SOUTH AFRICA 

WINTER 2018 

5

Chief Financial Officer and Head of Growth 

for Aerobotics Tim Willis (below) said 

the group had partnered to provide valued 

added services to all members of the Mayo 

Macs group as well as aggregating reporting 

for the processing company. “Nedbank is 

in a Corporate Partnership with Aerobotics 

and we have worked on a number of projects 

over the past couple of years. Mayo Macs is 

also a client of Nedbank’s Corporate and 

Investment Bank.” 

“Aerobotics will help macadamia 

farmers to identify early-stage 

problems in their orchards which 

means higher and better quality 

yields,” said Willis. 

“Mayo Macs will also get more timely harvest 

information which means they can enter into 

better contracts for the sale of the crop. And 

then as more farmers join the Aerobotics 

platform, our algorithms become smarter 

which enables us to identify a wider range of 

problems with more accuracy,” he said. 

Zhann Meyer (right), who is the Nedbank 

Corporate and Investment Bank Head: 

Agricultural Commodities said his unit had 

launched the pilot project with Mayo Macs 

and its producers to test and assess the impact 

and practical application of the data to manage 

and mitigate risk for the Bank. 

“We are validating the results, but 

early indications are that we could 

well be looking at a mechanism 

that allows for certain costs to be 

shared in exchange for a lowered 

risk profile as a result of Aerobotics 

managing tree and orchard health 

for our clients,” Meyer said. 

Andrew Sheard, who is the Technical Manager for Mayo Macs, said over 

7 000ha under macadamia trees would have been mapped by the end of 

the project using drones operated by aerial photography company, Over 

the Top Photography. He said the information gathered from the process 

was already providing the processing company with an accurate tree-count 

across the region. “We started the process in May and for us the most 

important information is knowing how many trees there are in the ground. 

That information will help us with our forecasting. It will give us an idea 

of the growth in the industry and then of course the size of the harvests on 

an annual basis. Forecasting the annual crop is probably one of the most 

difficult things we have to do each year. You can never be sure if a variety 

is going to produce to its potential quality and tonnages despite doing our 

best to predict those variables. Now we know how many trees there are, the 

varieties and their overall health. Each tree photographed is given a GPS 

co-ordinate and a health index. In the future we hope to be able to predict 

production trends more accurately using the data provided by the Aeroview 

platform,” he said. 

Sheard said the technology also meant farmers were able to monitor the 

health of their orchards from the air providing a unique perspective on 

the health of their trees. “All the data that we are collecting now is giving 

farmers an opportunity to compare the health of their orchards from one 

season to the next. The pest management aspect of the system is still new 

and under development, but we are confident that it will grow. Farmers 

will eventually get to a point where they will be able to accurately measure 

whether the management strategies they are putting in are working from 

one season to the next,” he said. 

Sheard said farmers using the app were also able to monitor pests and 

diseases by collecting data on a daily or weekly basis. “When a scouting 

team goes out they can zoom in on a particular tree using the Aeroview 

Scouting app. When you get to that tree what you do is look to see if there 

are any pests and identify them if you can. Using the app the scout can then 

click on the name or take a picture of the pest and hit save. For diseases 

you can do the same thing. For example at the moment we are scouting for 

blossom blight in the fields. The scout can simply zoom in on the specific 

tree and enter the data by clicking on the disease name on the screen and 

hitting save. If he wants to take a picture he can do that as well or take voice 

notes. Each farmer can login to his own farm data, whereas Mayo Macs 

technical services are able to access all the farms and all the scouting data.” 

Sheard said the pest and disease data gathering in the field was building 

the artificial intelligence of the app. “The more scouting that is done using 

the platform the more it is showing the app what is happening in the 

orchards. That app is effectively becoming more intelligent with each save. 

Eventually the scouting will become a secondary aspect of the information 

collection strategy because the app will be able to predict what is going 

to happen. Farmers will be warned if spikes in pests such as nut borer 

or stinkbug infestations are probable. They will know when they need to 

climb in and start spraying. The result will be a more proactive and cost 

effective pest and disease management programme,” he said. 

Zululand macadamia farmer Ant Bennett said the data the technology was 

providing was exciting. “There are certain things in your orchard that you 

will never see unless you fly over the trees. Based on the information I have 

received now on the app I can see what trees are not healthy in the orchard. 

Now I want to go and look at those trees. And because the scouting routes 

are mapped onto my cell phone and the devices used by my field staff I can 

accurately plan my scouting missions. While I don’t think this app takes 

the people out of the orchard, what it does do is help me to use my staff 

more effectively,” he said. 

John Hudson (below) who is the National Head Agriculture at Nedbank 

Business Banking said the adoption of technology and innovation was one 

of the ways the country’s farmers had managed to combat the cost price 

squeeze so evident in agriculture. 

“This technology and the qualitative information is very 

much part of precision farming and assists in making 

the most of limited resources such as water, energy 

and soil. Ultimately this will contribute to long term 

sustainability whether it be financial or environmental 

and this is very much in line with what Nedbank stands 

for,” Hudson said. 

Drone operator, Ryan Hermann (top right) who has been crisscrossing the 

province deploying drones in the mapping process, said once the imagery 

was uploaded from the cameras, satellite data was collected weekly. “The 

satellite provides information on a 10m² resolution whereas the drone can 

zoom in to an individual leaf and give you a 2.2cm per pixel resolution. 

So, using the drone imagery to count the trees and to identify any issues 

in the orchard is excellent, but for more detailed data then using the drone 

on a more regular basis is very efficient. For example we now have farmers 

who want to see how their trees are affected by pruning. So we can fly the 

drones over the orchard and take images before they are pruned and then 

again afterwards.” 

Pointing to the screen on his laptop where 

circles show a robot index from green to 

red, Hermann said if the circles, which 

represented each tree, were a dark green that 

indicated the tree was very healthy, the orange 

and red colours indicated stress whether 

linked to pest infestation, lack of water or soil 

drainage problems. 

While uploading the app onto a device is free, 

Willis said Aerobotics was offering a seasonal 

package for macadamia farmers. “The package 

is R500 a hectare which includes three drone 

flights at specific times in the season plus the 

weekly satellite data and access to our scouting 

app. Readers of the Macadamia SA Magazine 

he said, were eligible for a R50 discount 

per hectare. For further information email 

info@aerobotics.io or Andrew Sheard at 

Mayo Macs on andrew@mayomacs.co.za 

RECEIVE A 10% 

DISCOUNT ON THE 

SEASONAL PACKAGE! 

This includes 3 x serviced drone 

flights and a subscription to 

the Aeroview platform. 

This discount can be redeemed by 

using the promo code MACA online 

at www.aerobotics.io - T&C’s apply* 

*T&C's: Promotion codes are only valid for orders placed 

online at www.aerobotics.io. Only one promotion code can be 

used per order. Coupon code valid until the 31st October 2018. 

6 


WINTER 2018 

7

A 3-part series on the history of Beaumont in South Africa. 

ADVERTORIAL 

2 Part 

Above: Peter, the foreman at Amorentia 

Macadamia Nursery conducting quality control 

In 1971 and again in 1975, Prof Dick Hamilton visited Len 

in South Africa to select which cultivars he would send to 

South Africa to test in trial blocks. This was an important 

exercise in determining suitable cultivars for various 

regions. Len and the Prof travelled to Malawi, Zimbabwe, 

the Lowveld, (joined by Peter Allan) Swaziland and the 

coastal areas of Natal. It was on this trip that Len realised 

the importance of testing the quality of Macadamia kernel 

in determining its suitability for commercial use. Len and 

the Prof spent time analysing test results from the Hawaii 

selections and Len was delighted that Beaumont proved to 

produce a high quality kernel. Prof Dick still discarded the 

cultivar for the reason that it needed to be tree-harvested. 

Len was determined to overcome this challenge and 

when the first South African Beaumont orchards started 

to produce a crop, successful harvesting techniques were 

developed by Len and the team at Amorentia Estate and 

Nursery. These became the protocols which now enable our 

industry to successfully harvest Beaumont using ethapon. 

Ethapon, now a registered product on Macadamias, is 

sprayed on Beaumont trees at a rate of 750 – 1000 ppm 

once the crop is ready for harvest. 

Amorentia Macadamia Nursery is extremely proud of the 

role it played in shaping the history of the South African 

Macadamia industry. It was also under Len’s guidance that 

Amorentia Nursery began its own propagation of Beaumont 

(and other Macadamia cultivars). 

Above: Amorentia Macadamia Nursery - 2018 expansion phase underway. 

Situated in an incredible micro-climate just outside 

of Tzaneen, Limpopo, Amorentia Nursery propagates 

Macadamias, Avocados, Dragon Fruit and a wide variety 

of other fruit trees and ornamental plants. When visiting 

the nursery, its 70 years of horticultural history is evident 

- particularly the 45 years of macadamia vegetative 

clonal propagation. 

The recent growth of the South African Macadamia 

industry has prompted another expansion phase at 

Amorentia Macadamia nursery meaning it will soon have 

the capacity for 400,000 vegetatively propagated clonal 

rooted-cuttings (VPs) and nearly 400,000 mature trees. 

70% of its production remains Beaumont VPs. As South 

Africa’s position in the global production of macadamias 

strengthens, role-players are asking important questions 

about cultivar choice and root-stock performance. A 

good farmer knows 1 thing - that successful macadamia 

production begins with excellent nursery trees and 

nursery tree quality is determined by 2 elements: 

1. Superior Root-stocks 

2. Excellent Mother-material 

VP propagation is uncommon in the Macadamia nursery 

industry in South Africa and grafted seedlings are more 

widely used and understood. VPs produce a more even 

orchard due to consistency of genetics and they have 

a superior root-system when propagated by superior 

nurseries with experience. Following good practice 

protocols ensures excellent results. 

Look out for Part 3 in the next edition of the Macadamia SA Magazine! 

www.amorentia.co.za

Do We Have 

Enough Water 

For All Our Macs? 


Lindi Botha 

The continual prosperity of the macadamia 

industry has led to a rapid increase in 

orchards with the industry adding around 

2 000 additional hectares each year. With 

water shortages increasingly becoming the 

norm, questions are being raised now around 

the availability of the precious resource for the 

new orchards. 

Above Armand Smit, 

intern technical officer 

at Mayo Macs, and 

Theunis Smit, Senior 

Technical Advisor at 

Mayo Macs. 

Left The expanding 

macadamia industry 

is placing a greater 

demand on available 

water resources. 

Since the industry is still relatively new in South Africa, little 

research has been done on what ensures the sustainability 

and profitability of a macadamia farm. Central to this lack of 

research is water use efficiency (WUE). 

Theunis Smit, senior technical advisor at Mayo Macs said the 

challenge in using water wisely was no research existed on 

how much water a macadamia tree really needed. “We know 

how much water the trees can use, but the biggest challenge 

is to determine the minimum amount we can get away with. 

Because profits on macadamias are high, farmers are making 

money and they are not pressed to adopt new technologies 

to increase efficiencies.” He said one of the obstacles in 

determining optimal water use was there was no one size fits 

all approach. “Trees are not uniform and there can be one 

tree drowning and another drought stressed all in the same 

orchard. Furthermore most farmers don’t know how much 

water they are giving their trees. They can tell you how long 

they are irrigating, but not how much, and a lot of the water 

is being flushed away, taking all the nutrients with it.” 

Left Water use monitoring 

equipment used in the WRC 

macadamia project. 

The problem is exacerbated by the fact that little irrigation 

research has been done. Much of the global research originates 

in Australia and the majority of orchards there are dryland as 

research in that country has showed there was little benefit 

to irrigating in high rainfall areas. Theunis said because water 

use was area specific it was difficult to determine the exact 

water requirements for macadamias and because the nuts 

were so valuable, farmers were inclined to over water rather 

than under water to reduce the risk of a sub-standard crop. 

While it is difficult to pin-point the exact water requirement, 

research conducted by Mayo Macs and the Water 

Research Commission shows that mature orchards require 

750 - 850mm a year in the Nelspruit area. 

If trees are over-irrigated they are placed under enormous 

stress because much of the oxygen in the soil is removed. 

The lack of oxygen results in a shortage of micro-elements, 

the biggest of which is a lack of iron. If the trees are given 

too little water it can result in a reduction in yield and 

quality of nuts. 

10 


WINTER 2018 

11

Above The macadamia industry is increasing at 2000 ha annually. 

MACADAMIA 

IRRIGATION: 

LESS IS MORE 

Above Armand measures water stress using a pressure chamber. 

On the issue of on-going water availability for the exponential 

growth in land under macadamias, Theunis said macadamias 

used less water than other crops such as sugarcane. “Since 

sugarcane is being replaced with macadamias in many areas, 

it will result in more water being available, which should be 

sufficient for all the trees in the future. I believe with new 

technology and advancement in research we can reduce water 

use further, which will also result in more available water for 

the new orchards,” he said. 

WATER FOOTPRINT 

Theunis said the water footprint of crops was increasingly 

going to become an issue world-wide. “The world is watching 

what we do with our water. We need to be able to determine 

the WUE of a crop, in other words, how many litres does it 

take to produce a kilogram of nuts to determine the crops 

feasibility in a water-stressed world.” 

Research has shown that it takes 1000 litres of water to 

produce 850 grams of macadamia nuts. The same amount is 

required to produce 1 - 2kg of avocadoes or 6 - 7kg of citrus 

fruit, respectively. “In layman’s terms, that’s two hundred 5 

litre buckets of water for a handful of nuts!” But, Theunis 

said water use productivity must also be taken into account, 

which equates to how many litres of water are required to 

generate R1. “If you are going to spend on water, it must be 

worthwhile and here macadamias come out tops, requiring 

only 14 - 16 litres for R1 worth of macadamias; 16 - 18 litres 

for R1 worth of avocadoes and 19 - 29 litres for R1 worth of 

citrus. “This makes macadamias a good investment in terms 

of where we must priorities our water use. The question 

then remains can I afford not to give this crop water? When 

100kg’s of macadamias brings in R7000, farmers are going 

to irrigate however much they can to ensure they get the best 

yield possible. But farmers have to take into account the cost 

of the water, electricity, tree and soil health. To take a holistic 

approach to the real cost of over-irrigating, the quest then for 

the perfect balance becomes all the more important.” 

Preliminary findings from a study on the effect of 

water stress on a macadamia crop have showed trees 

irrigated the least yielded the best nuts. 

The study is being undertaken by Armand Smit, 

intern technical officer at Mayo Macs, Theunis Smit, 

Senior Technical Advisor at Mayo Macs and the 

Water Research Commission (Project K5/2554//4). 

It forms part of a long-term, three year trial to 

determine the impact of water stress on different 

phenological periods on the quality and yield of 

macadamia nuts. To date the first year’s findings have 

been released and show that dryland macadamias 

outperform their irrigated counterparts. 

The trial was done on a mature, three hectare 

Beaumont block in the Nelspruit region. Control 

trees received normal irrigation according to DFM 

capacitance probes at a rate of around six hours 

per week, using 50 litre micro sprinklers. The 

second block was half-irrigated using 25 litre micro 

sprinklers and another block received no irrigation. 

There were four other blocks that received water at 

different times during the season. On average the 

non-irrigated trees delivered around 81kg nut-inhusk 

(NIH) macadamias and 31kg wet-in-shell 

(WIS) macadamias more than the fully irrigated 

trees. The half-irrigated trees delivered 15kg NIH 

and 8kg WIS more than the fully irrigated trees. 

Armand said there were limited differences in quality 

between half-irrigated (33.92%) and non-irrigated 

(33.72%) total kernel recovery (TKR). The fully 

irrigated trees achieved 32.92% TKR. “Interestingly, 

the percentage onion ring was 2% higher on nonirrigated 

trees, compared to the others. “While these 

findings are exciting with regards to the future use 

of deficit irrigation in macadamia nut orchards, we 

must realise that this is only preliminary data and 

the trial must continue for at least another two years 

before we can get conclusive results on the impact of 

water stress,” said Armand. 

12 MACADAMIA SOUTH AFRICA

International 

Airport Extends 

Flight Path 

To Include Macs 

The thousands of tourists travelling by air to the Kruger 

National Park each year are offering a unique window of 

opportunity for the region’s international airport, whose 

owners have joined up with agricultural enterprises to 

branch out into the hugely lucrative macadamia industry. 

Above 

Macadamias prove a 

low risk, high profit 

investment to diversify 

the airport’s portfolio. 

Above Right 

The airport overlooks 

citrus and macadamia 

nut farms where 

opportunities for the 

development of agritourism 

are underway. 


Lindi Botha 

An entrepreneurial spirit and a “think big” attitude has seen the Kruger 

Mpumalanga International Airport (KMIA) diversify its investment portfolio to 

include farming macadamias. While the investment potential of the macadamia 

industry is undisputed, KMI Farming is taking it to the next level by capitalising 

on the opportunities provided by tourists using the airport on their way to and 

from the Kruger National Park. 

KMI Farming was first started in 2017 after the group bought a tobacco farm on 

auction right next to the picturesque airport outside Nelspruit. The joint venture 

company is made up of three shareholders: ANB Investments, an agricultural 

investment company that markets and holds licences for various closed cultivars; 

L.A Visagie and Sons, neighbouring farmers; and MQP Agricultural Investments, 

which belongs to the same owners as the airport. 

Marius Nel (right), the Chief Executive Officer at the airport, said when the 

opportunity arose to invest in farmland, they immediately met with the Visagie 

family who were farming macadamias and citrus nearby. “We formulated a strategy 

that included macadamias and the highly successfully branded ClemenGold 

nadorcott mandarins owned by ANB Investments. The farm now has 160 hectares 

under mandarins and 70ha planted to macadamia nut trees. “Macadamias are 

highly profitable at the moment. But we are not naïve in thinking that the prices 

won’t reach a ceiling at some point, so we decided to hedge our risk by adding 

the citrus trees. With the ClemenGold mandarins the profitability is quite close 

to macadamias as these mandarins outperform any other citrus variety on the 

market,” Nel said. 

FARMING OPERATIONS 

The macadamia trees were planted 

in December 2017, in April and July 

2018 and will be in production by 

2023. The varieties include Beaumonts, 

A4, 816 and Nelmac 2. The cultivar 

combination was chosen based on 

carefully researched traits, he said. 

14 


WINTER 2018 

15

Willem Kieviet (above), area manager 

for Indigo Fruit Farms (a division 

of ANB Investments) in Nelspruit, 

manages the farming operations for 

KMI Farming. He said the Beaumont 

variety were stable and delivered a 

consistent yield year in and year out. 

“The A4 and 816 has a lot of potential 

over the long term because the crackout 

is good and it can service the kernel 

and nut-in-shell market. Nelmac 2 

will never drop you as the yield and 

crackout is always good,” Kieviet said. 

The trees have been planted on 

ridges to better control the reach of 

the fertigation over the roots. The 

macadamias are planted at density of 

313 trees per hectare, while the citrus 

orchards have 1 167 trees per hectare. 

“This means that looking at the canopy 

coverage per hectare, macadamias 

require less trees to produce a crop. 

The nuts also have a lower water 

requirement so it is a safer investment 

than citrus when considering the 

possibility of water shortages and 

electricity costs to irrigate,” he said. 

When comparing macadamia nut to 

citrus farming in the Nelspruit area, the 

climate requirements are very similar. 

“The macadamia harvest is slightly 

earlier than citrus, so by the time we 

start harvesting citrus in middle May, 

most of the macadamias would have 

been harvested already. This means we 

can use the same temporary labour as 

we are using for the citrus; they would 

just be employed earlier in the year.” 

Kieviet said in terms of farming 

practices there are few differences 

between the two crops, with only 

limited tweaks required on the farming 

equipment, for example, chemical 

sprayers. 

GOING ONE STEP FURTHER 

Nel said the idea behind the farming 

venture was to diversify the airport 

company’s business operation. 

“The ultimate goal is to exploit the 

development potential of the whole 

area surrounding the airport. Currently 

it is mostly farmland, but the company 

is looking at creating tourism value on 

the farms,” he said. 

KMI Farming aims to develop the whole 

valley along the R538 road leading up 

to the airport. Plans include converting 

an old tobacco store on one of the 

farms into a brewery and restaurant 

where they can offer products from 

their own farms using the mandarins 

and macadamia nuts. It is hoped these 

projects will take advantage of the 

tourists travelling through the airport 

and create an ideal stop en-route to 

the Kruger National Park. KMIA’s 

passengers are 70% international and 

30% business travellers, which Nel said 

offered a whole host of opportunities 

to develop and market macadamia 

nut products in and around the 

airport. “Internationally the demand 

for macadamias is high and reaching 

the ceiling in this market seems quite 

far off. This makes it an ideal crop to 

cultivate on our farmland and also to 

exploit in terms of products we can 

offer to our passengers as snacks or take 

home souvenirs.” 

16 

MACADAMIA SOUTH AFRICA

Macadamia Prices 

Higher Than Ever 

The good news story surrounding macadamias 

continues to grow as prices reach record highs 

amid the largest global crop ever produced. 

Demand is growing steadily, with more 

opportunities opening up as supply increases 

and stabilises. 

Figures emerging from the annual International Nut Council 

(INC) conference held in Seville, Spain, earlier this year 

predicted the macadamia crop would double over the next 

four years from 211 000 tons nut-in-shell (NIS) to 400 000 

tons in 2022. This year, as the biggest producer, South Africa 

will contribute 53 500 tons, followed by Australia at 44 500 

tons and Kenya at 32 500. 

Alex Whyte (right), general manager of Green Farms 

Nut Company, said the overall feeling in the market for 

macadamias was very optimistic. “Prices are currently the 

highest ever even though the global crop is the largest on 

record. It seems that at consumer level there is still strong 

demand for macadamias even at these record prices. The 

market remains undersupplied and it looks like the situation 

will continue into the 2019 season.” 

A HEALTHY APPETITE 

Whyte said the continued growth in the consumer trend 

and understanding the health and environmental benefits 

in consumption of plant based proteins was emphasised 

at the council conference. “We’ve seen this topic at most 

other food and ingredients events we’ve attended around the 

world. This is especially relevant in ensuring the industry 

leverages this trend to absorb astronomic increases in supply 

going forward.” 

As Demand Grows 

Article Lindi Botha 

Images Supplied 

According to statistics portal, Statistica, about 10% on 

average of both the United States (US) and Europe’s 

population are vegetarian and or vegan. This is significantly 

higher among younger generations, showing a growing 

trend. The estimated $750 million - $800 million (over R1 

billion) macadamia industry seems perfectly poised to service 

this segment of the market. More efforts are however needed 

to ensure macadamias are positioned correctly in the market 

to maintain demand and price premium. Whyte said nuts 

were now considered a core part of a healthy diet. “Their 

elongated product life cycle makes them well suited as an 

ingredient in other foods. More commoditised nuts like 

almonds and walnuts are widely used as an ingredient and 

answer a volume proposition. Because of this macadamias 

need to carve their proposition around their entirely unique 

taste and texture, unmet by other nuts.” 

The development of new orchards has risen exponentially 

over the years, and subsequently the crop and available 

supply. Currently 70% to 80% of macadamias are consumed 

as a snack with 20% - 30% being used as an ingredient. To 

maintain the current lucrative prices to growers, developing 

the ingredient sector is imperative. 

PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT 

Barry Christie (above), operations manager of the Southern 

African Macadamia Grower’s Association, said South Africa 

would process around 54% of this year’s crop to kernel, with 

the remainder being exported as NIS. “The kernel market 

remains strong and there is renewed interest from the 

manufacturers to develop product lines with macadamias. 

While Australia has led the way in product development, as 

sufficient volume is entering the market, it makes it more 

viable for manufacturers to develop new products.” 

As the nut trend grows, consumers can expect to see more 

macadamias in milks, butters, nut mix drinks, vegan cheeses 

and as an ingredient in a host of other new products. 

Macadamia oil is sold mostly into the cosmetic industry for 

its value to the beauty industry and anti-ageing properties, 

however increasingly it’s being used in cooking (together 

with avocado oil, it has the highest smoke point of all oils) 

and other food applications. 

Whyte said their customers in the food industry were crying 

out to use macadamias as an ingredient. “However, it is up 

to the industry to make the opportunity tangible through 

investing in innovation to deliver the macadamia value 

proposition. Relative to other nuts, the macadamia industry 

is small, and collaboration in challenging convention around 

how nuts can be used as an ingredient is more important 

than ever.” 

WHAT IS DRIVING 

THE DEMAND? 

Global consumption of macadamias has risen 60% 

over the last ten years and exports with 112%, 

resulting in a multi-billion dollar industry. 

“Since macadamias make up only 1% of the tree nut 

collective, it has positioned itself as a delicacy. With 

huge expansion in available supply this looks set to 

change,” said Brian Loader, CEO of Green & Gold 

Macadamias. “Growing from a relatively small base, 

the challenge has been to garner enough industry 

muscle to bring to the fore what makes macadamias 

so special.” 

RECENT RESEARCH 

DEMONSTRATES 

THAT MACADAMIAS, 

AMONG OTHERS: 

- Are high in Omega 7 (Palmitoleic 

Acid) which is an anti-ageing agent 

- Are beneficial to weight control 

& endothelial function 

- Have the highest levels 

of monounsaturated fat 

(the good fat) of all nuts 

- Help with insulin 

regulation, cholesterol 

& cardiovascular health 

“ 

As trends like veganism, eating organic 

and preserving the environment continue 

to gain momentum we anticipate further 

expansion of the macadamia industry. 

Europe’s consumption alone has increased 

with 36% over the last ten years. ” 

- Brian Loader 

18 


WINTER 2018 

19

Above Left Some 54% of South Africa’s 

crop is processed as kernel, making it well 

positioned to serve the ingredient sector. 

Above Maintaining the lucrative macadamia 

market for growers, developing the snack 

market is an imperative according to industry 

experts. Ritter Sport chocolates has just brought 

out their first macadamia chocolate bar in a 

bid to capitalise on the increasing demand for 

macadamia nuts by consumers. 

Ask yourself ... 

Why do the biggest avocado, macadamia and 

citrus growers and exporters, among others, use 

Heli-Tractor? 

THREATS TO THE LOCAL INDUSTRY 

The rapid expansion of China’s macadamia orchards is a growing concern. 

Around 200 000 hectares have been planted, of which 6 000 hectares are 

in production. 

Nico van Schalkwyk (above), marketing manager for Golden Macadamias 

said China was set to double production from 10 000 tons NIS to about 

20 000 tons. “They will become a threat, unless we can differentiate 

ourselves based on quality and service. Yunnan province is impacting the 

market for the first time, since buyers don’t have to buy the South African 

or Australian NIS because they can just wait until October for their local 

crop to come in at lower prices. “There are however concerns about the 

quality of the local Yunnan crop, and South African suppliers with a good 

quality reputation still have a good market in the luxury online section, 

which operates in a different niche to the mainstream wholesale market,” 

van Schalkwyk said. 

Vietnam, Africa and Asia have ramped up investment in macadamia 

orchards, but not necessarily in processing capacity, which could result in 

a large supply of NIS in the near future. Since Asia is the biggest market 

for NIS macadamias, producers will all be vying for the same market share. 

Whyte said the industry had always relied on China to absorb the NIS 

exports, mainly because China was paying good prices. “We also require 

limited investment in processing infrastructure in order to service this 

market relative to the kernel market. However with the increased volumes 

we cannot always expect China to be in short supply and always wanting 

more. That market will continue to be strong at consumer level but it 

is likely to grow at a steady 5% - 10% a year, not 20% a year like it has 

since 2010.” 

WHERE 

ARE ALL THE 

NUTS GOING? 

The largest consumers of macadamia 

kernel are Australia and North 

America, which together make up 

roughly 50%. This is followed by 

Europe, notably the Netherlands, 

Germany, the UK, Switzerland and 

Spain. In Asia, and especially China, 

the nut is eaten in the shell, and this 

market consumes the vast majority of 

NIS product. 

Van Schalkwyk said China was still the 

main driver in the market, but other 

Asian countries, including India, is 

where the future growth is. 

“ 

Oil money countries like 

Saudi Arabia and Russia also 

hold good growth potential. ” 

- Nico van Schalkwyk 

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20 


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Growers Urged To 

Report Pest Sightings 

To Boost Research 

If efforts to develop comprehensive and integrated pest management strategies hope 

to keep pace with South Africa’s fast-growing macadamia industry, growers need 

to regularly inform academics and researchers at the Forestry and Agricultural 

Biotechnology Institute (FABI) about the disease and insect infestation. 

Below Left Dr Gerda Fourie from the Forestry and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute who is heading up the 

Macadamia Protection Programme with PhD at the recent Southern Natal Macadamia Association study group 

day with student Angel Maduke who is focusing her dissertation on diseases affecting macadamia nut trees. 

Above Macadamia nut farmers are urged to collect specimens 

of pests found in their orchards to assist in speeding up the 

development of integrated pest management controls. 



While research into pests and diseases impacting the 

macadamia farming sector in South Africa is gathering 

pace, researchers are urging growers to report any sightings 

of possible pathogen or insect infestation to help speed up 

solutions for the development of control methodologies. 

Dr Gerda Fourie, who heads up the collaborative research 

partnership between the University of Pretoria, the Forestry 

and Agricultural Biotechnology Institute (FABI) and 

the Southern African Macadamia Growers’ Association 

(SAMAC), says the success of what is now called the 

Macadamia Protection Programme hinges on regular and 

comprehensive communication with farmers. The programme 

was launched in February 2017 and is a comprehensive 

research plan which includes a Disease Diagnostic Clinic to 

assist the industry to mitigate against the impact of pests and 

diseases on production. South Africa is the largest producer 

of macadamia nuts in the world and the exponential growth 

of the industry has, to an extent, outpaced research and 

development resulting in the lack of a comprehensive and 

co-ordinated strategy for integrated pest management. 

Fourie was a guest speaker at the recent Southern Natal 

Macadamia Association study group day held at Immergren 

Farm near Port Edward. “Our main focus now is to generate 

information which will be used to improve and develop 

our knowledge base. At the same time, we are identifying 

what the problems are through understanding the insect 

populations and pathogens in the orchards. That means it 

is very important for growers out there to contact us as soon 

as they notice consistent infestation and then to send any 

samples they might have to us. We will then arrange for a 

consultation and conduct a site visit. That really helps us to 

get a feel for what is out there and what is happening on 

the ground,” she said. The collection of the data, Fourie said 

would assist the institute in its aim to advance and develop 

biological and natural control agents. “Before we can do that 

though, we have to identify the causal agents of the diseases, 

understand the genetic variations and then study the biology 

of the life cycle of the pests. And this does take time, but 

we are making good progress,” she said. Fourie said research 

projects were focusing on the nut borer complex, the twospotted 

stinkbug and the causal agent of husk rot which is 

a fungal disease of the pericarp (or the the edible tissue that 

develops around the seeds once they are fertilised). 

“We also want a student to look deeper into the fungi that 

are causing disease during different flowering stages - there 

are lots in Australia - that are affecting the crop. We are also 

picking up a fungal species that causes die-back that was 

found in Hawaii in 2009, so we are looking to see what they 

have done to control it. We should be able to share more 

information on this with the industry in November, at the 

Macadamia Industry day in White River,” Fourie said. 

The institute is in the process of recruiting students to carry 

out advanced research into pests such as the polyphagous 

Shot Hole Borer (PSHB) and its fungal symbiont Fusarium 

euwallaceae. The borer also known as the Asian Ambrosia 

Beetle, poses a serious threat to fruit and nut production 

around the world. The beetle was found in avocado orchards 

in Israel and reportedly there are fears it could kill off over 30% 

of the trees in Los Angeles and Canada. While the beetle has 

yet to be found on the country’s macadamia trees according 

to Fourie, it was identified in the country for the first-time 

last year on Plane Trees (Platnus) in Pietermaritzburg before 

being found in trees planted along the streets of Sandton 

in the City of Johannesburg. Since then it has also been 

identified in KwaZulu-Natal, the Western Cape, the Free 

State and in Mpumalanga. 

In a recent article published by Associate Professor at the 

University of Pretoria, Wilhelm de Beer, described the “tiny 

beetle and its deadly fungus” as posing a serious threat to the 

country’s fruit and nut industry, as well as to a long list of 

indigenous tree species. “The fact that native South African 

tree species are susceptible is particularly worrying. Although 

the California study provided some clues about the range 

of tree species susceptible, scientists simply don’t know and 

cannot predict what the beetle and fungus will do on crops 

like avocado, macadamia or on native trees in South Africa,” 

he said. De Beer said the fungus seemed permanently 

associated with the insect and it was the fungus, rather than 

the beetle, which eventually killed the tree. “Insecticides 

aren’t effective because the beetles bore deep into the wood. 

The only known method of managing the spread is to cut 

down the infested trees and burn them.” 

For further information or to report 

incidences of pest or disease sightings contact 

Dr Gerda Fourie on gerda.fourie@ up.ac.za 

22 


WINTER 2018 

23

Illegal Orchard 

Development 

Warning 

For Macadamia Farmers 

Unlawful expansion of macadamia orchards in KwaZulu-Natal has led 

to conservation authorities appealing to farmers to familiarise themselves 

with the National Environment Management Act 1998 and to improve 

communication between themselves and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife in a 

bid to preserve the few remaining pristine areas in the province. 

Below 

Principal Conservation 

Planner at Ezemvelo KZN 

Wildlife Jenny Longmore 

warned macadamia 

nut farmers at the 

recent Southern Natal 

Macadamia Association 

study group day about the 

“scary” state of biodiversity 

in KwaZulu-Natal. 



Extensive land modification for crops 

such as macadamias is becoming 

a significant threat to biodiversity 

particularly on the KwaZulu-Natal 

south coast. This is according to 

the Principal Conservation Planner 

at Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Jenny 

Longmore, who was speaking at a 

recent study group day, where she 

explained the impact of the expansion 

of macadamia orchards in the region. 

Macadamia growers on the KZN south 

coast are supporting a move to improve 

communication with environmental 

protection authorities following 

information Longmore provided on 

the “scary” state of biodiversity in 

the province. 

Land under macadamia production is 

expected to double between now and 

2022 as sugarcane farmers diversify 

into more lucrative cash crops and the 

global demand for the nuts increases. 

South Africa is the largest producer 

of macadamia nuts in the world with 

the country’s entire crop exported to 

China, Europe and the United States. 

The second largest producer of the crop 

is Australia. 

Longmore said the recent release of the 

KZN Environmental Outlook Report 

2017 had exposed “scary truths” on the 

state of the environment in the region 

and that the conservation body was 

taking a proactive stance in interacting 

with the agriculture sector and in 

particular the macadamia nut industry. 

She said not only had the report 

shown an increase in pests and invasive 

alien plants in the region, but the 

biodiversity of the entire coastline was 

now critically endangered. 

Longmore said at least three plant 

species were now extinct, 21 critically 

endangered and at least 100 endangered 

in the province. Also, about nine 

mammalian species were endangered, 

with two bird species extinct and 

eight species critically endangered; 

four amphibian species were critically 

endangered; one reptile species was 

extinct, one critically endangered 

and at least one butterfly species was 

extinct and four endangered. “The 

number one driver of the situation 

we face here is habitat loss. And the 

extensive land modification for crops 

such as macadamias is now being seen 

as a significant threat to biodiversity 

particularly on the south coast,” she 

said. Longmore said her department 

had been tasked by the KwaZulu-Natal 

provincial government to develop a 

proactive strategy to communicate 

with macadamia farmers to halt any 

further cases of land clearing that were 

in contravention of South Africa’s 

National Environment Management 

Act 1998 (NEMA). She said in some 

instances where virgin land was cleared 

for new macadamia orchards the 

farmers concerned were seemingly 

unaware that they were involved in any 

wrongdoing. “While we don’t want to 

come across as wielding a heavy hand 

or lecturing farmers on this issue, we 

do need to find a way to work together. 

What we would prefer is for us to be 

more proactive to understand the 

industry better,” she said. 

The macadamia industry had done 

extensive research into the impact 

of pesticides on bee populations 

and studies were underway in the 

Limpopo province on the role of bats 

in the macadamia orchards, Longmore 

said. “And yes, we are also concerned 

about the honey bee, but our animal 

ecologist is also concerned about a host 

of different species involved in tree 

pollination. Unfortunately, we haven’t 

done any studies yet on what other 

pollinators might be involved and that 

is something we want to catch up on. 

We are very concerned about chemical 

drifts, particularly when orchards 

are close to protected areas or 

natural grasslands.” 

Longmore said essentially the 

department was now holding up a 

red flag. “We are in an immensely 

challenging time in conservation 

and we have this small window of 

opportunity now to make sure the 

development of macadamia orchards 

in the province is environmentally 

sustainable. We are relying on you the 

farmers to be the conservationists on 

your farms and asking you to comply 

with the legislation. We need to work 

together, we are not the experts on the 

industry or the chemicals that you are 

using, so we need to work together to 

minimise the environmental impact of 

the industry,” she said. 

24 


WINTER 2018 

25

Bats 

The Farmer’s Little Helper 

The presence of 15 bats per hectare in South Africa’s macadamia orchards can reduce 

the cost of stink bug damage by as much as R9 000 a hectare according to a recent 

study. The paper authored by bat experts, Dr Peter Taylor, Ingo Grass, Andries 

Alberts, Elsje Joubert and Teja Tscharntke from the University of Venda, says threats 

to South Africa’s bat populations, such as wind farms, human persecution or excessive 

or highly toxic pesticide applications on crops such as macadamia nuts could now 

significantly increase annual revenue losses to the industry caused by the pest. 

Article Colleen Dardagan 

Images Merlin Tuttle 

The ongoing study at Levubu in the Limpopo Province, 

calculated both the direct - reduced stinkbug damage due to 

bat predation - and indirect - reduced pesticide use - avoided 

costs in the orchards. Put simply, the avoided-cost approach 

places a value on crop pest control by evaluating the costs 

that growers avoid in the production of their crop as a direct 

result of the bat activity in their orchards. The objective 

of the research was to combine the economic value of bat 

predation across all published studies using the average cost 

per hectare per year and the average yield as a percentage of 

the comparable annual crop yield as a standardised measure. 

Any new data generated by the team was also based on the 

avoided costs model. 

South Africa is the world’s largest macadamia exporter 

grown on 25 000ha in mainly three provinces. The 2018 

harvest is expected to reach at least 50 000 tons nut-inshell. 

The annual cost of stinkbug damage was estimated at 

R50 million in 2009 and revised to R200 million in 2017. 

“Assuming the higher rate of insect consumption this means 

that the loss of bats in orchards would result in economic 

losses of approximately one fifth of the current highest 

estimates for annual macadamia losses caused by stink bugs,” 

the study says. 

Added investigation into the diet and activity patterns of 

bats in the orchards at Levubu revealed that several local 

species of bats feed frequently on bugs including at least one 

locally occurring species of the stink bug. While there were 

different species of bats identified in the Levubu orchards, 

the main predator was the common slit-faced bat or Nycteris 

thebaica. Further the available economic data on macadamia 

production together with published or available data on 

stink bug longevity, fertility patterns and the damage coefficient, 

allowed the team to develop the avoided cost model 

to estimate the economic value of bat predation services to 

macadamia growers on a national basis. 

To estimate the number of bats per hectare active each night, 

data was used from the Environmental Impact Assessment 

on the expected effect of the new King Shaka International 

Airport on mammals and a nearby seasonal barn swallow 

roost. The radar sweep area in the assessment was estimated 

at 1 078ha and the mean bat count of 16 361 bats per night 

amounted to a mean density of 15 bats per hectare. This 

data the study says was realistic for the landscape which is 

representative of the southern-most macadamia growing area 

of the KwaZulu-Natal coastal belt. 

While the avoided cost model in the study accounted only 

for the direct cost of stinkbug damage and excluded the 

indirect cost of added pesticides used when the presence of 

the pest is identified in the orchard, the study paper says it 

should be noted that not all farmers followed the prescribed 

thresholds for pesticide spraying frequency. “Some adopt 

arbitrary ‘calendar spraying’ resulting generally in higher 

levels of pesticide use. However, even these farmers will 

increase pesticide spray frequency when pest numbers are 

observed to increase, and it is likely the resulting increase in 

the frequency would exceed industry thresholds. We feel our 

estimates of indirect avoided costs of increased pesticide use 

are likely to be conservative compared with actual farming 

practices,” the study says. 

The University of Venda study says new wind farm 

developments in South Africa are already recording bat 

fatalities. Also reduced bat activity has been recorded in the 

country due to the intensified agriculture which includes 

“at least” in part the increased use of pesticides. Land under 

macadamia nut production in South Africa is expected to 

double by 2022 and if this means the further destruction of 

natural habitats crucial for bats and other biodiversity, this 

could have devastating effects for macadamia production 

by “drastically” reducing the value of ecosystem services 

provided by natural predators and pollinators. 

The findings of the study, according to the researchers, must 

surely motivate macadamia nut farmers to change their 

orchard practices towards the support of bat populations and 

biodiversity in general even if it meant “acceptable losses” 

through the reduced use of chemicals and keeping substantial 

reserves of unplanted natural habitat. 

Above In this image a little-big-eared bat (Micronycteris megalotis) preys on a spined stinkbug 

(Loxa-flavicollis-Pentatomidae) in The Arena Forest Reserve in Trinidad, Barbados. 

Above Nycteris thebaica, or the common slit-faced bats catches a stinkbug 

in flight in a macadamia orchard at Levubu in the Limpopo Province. 

26 


WINTER 2018 

27

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Shining 

a Light 

On Tree Pruning 

Big cuts straight after harvest followed by skirting 

and trimming a few months later make for 

good nut-in-shell yields in years to come, says 

macadamia orchard expert, Sarah-Jane Stewart. 

Trials held in South Africa and 

Australia to measure nut yields in 

macadamia trees have revealed that 

failure to prune regularly results in a 

significant drop in tonnages as the 

trees mature. 

Sarah-Jane Stewart, an independent 

consultant to the industry and a 

technical advisor at the processing 

company, Mayo Macs, told growers at 

a recent industry day that the trials had 

shown the more sunlight that is allowed 

into the tree the better the yields, while 

incorrect or no pruning resulted in the 

development of management “issues” 

in the orchard and a marked reduction 

in nut bearing. She said in on-farm 

trials the cultivar ‘791, planted 4.5m 

by 3m apart and not pruned, produced 

nine tons of nut-in-shell in their eighth 

year. In their ninth year, however, yields 

on the same trees dropped to as little 

as three tons nut-in-shell. “Yield in a 

macadamia orchard tends to increase as 

the tree grows in size up to a point but 

the trials have shown quite clearly that 

once they reach a certain age or size, 

and if they are not pruned, they stop 

producing optimally,” she said. 

Stewart said pruning was done to keep 

the tree to a pre-determined size to 

ensure the sun was able to get into the 

canopy and to keep rejuvenating the 

orchard over a five to ten-year cycle. 

“Once an orchard reaches maturity 

and to keep the trees to a manageable 

size it is really important that the same 

percentage of foliage is removed equal 

to the new growth that has grown in a 



season. If the branches don’t get enough 

sunlight, they stop growing over a 

period of time and eventually die off. 

If an orchard is overcrowded the trees 

use all their energy to grow foliage to 

stay ahead of neighbouring trees rather 

than producing nuts. Also pruning 

must be done in such a way that the 

bearing branches are kept young. If 

only the outer foliage is removed the 

inside branches will become old and 

die,” Stewart said. 

To create pyramid-shaped trees and 

to produce ideal nut bearing units, 

the trees should be cut back with 

care. “First, if there is a competing 

central leader, it should be removed 

and branches overshadowing the lower 

branches pruned while old, thick 

branches that have little in the way of 

complex growth on their stems, should 

also be removed. The prune must be 

done as soon after harvest as possible, 

ideally using very sharp hand saws or 

pole pruners/chainsaws between 1.5m 

and 3m from the ground,” she said. 

Stewart said the reasoning was the tree 

would have time to rest, or become 

dormant, before starting to produce 

fresh shoots. 

Once the big cuts were made the next 

step - which was usually done after the 

first pruning - was to “skirt” the tree 

and trim the width and height. “The 

purpose here is to keep working areas 

open and restrict the height of the tree 

shoulders. For this job the quickest 

and most effective method is to use 

pole pruners or chainsaws to avoid 

“It all starts in the nursery” 

Any plant’s success starts in the nursery, propagating high 

quality trees ensures a good start to a new orchard. 

Our nursery consists of 2 lath-houses and 1 seedbed all 

amounting to 2 500m². We Produce 50 000 trees per annum. 

Established in 2014, Brondal Kwekery have grown to a 

reputable supplier and grower of Macadamia trees. Situated just 

9km outside White River, with easy access from main routes, it 

allows the nursery quick collection and delivery ways. Co-owned 

and managed by Arve Grindstad & Ziaan Barnard, the nursery is 

run with a team of well trained and enthusiastic Ground Staff. 

Contact Us 

Ziaan Barnard 083 555 4988 

brondalkwekery@gmail.com / www.brondalkwekery.co.za 

damaging the emerging flowers and to make sure the work 

is time efficient.” Cleaning up the initial “big” cuts, Stewart 

said, should follow in October and January/February when 

any water shoots are removed using secateurs or by hand. 

If farmers followed these important steps in their pruning 

regime they would not only increase the light into the trees 

but also increase the active bearing wood resulting in a 

dense and high-quality crop, she said. Correct pruning 

practices also made effective pest spraying and harvesting 

easier while stripping the trees was simplified as they were 

kept at a manageable height. Further the long-term health 

of the orchard was guaranteed because the trees were 

continuously rejuvenated. 

Stewart said further trials in Australia had showed trees 

pruned in autumn flowered better compared with those 

pruned in winter. These trials were done on the ‘849’ and 

‘A268’ varieties. “The A268, which flowers later than other 

cultivars, showed no effects in the first season but there 

was a big difference in the second season,” she said. The 

study also showed younger trees pruned a season prior 

to flowering produced a “staggering” flush development 

and more racemes setting fruit than the trees that were 

not pruned. 

Left Macadamia industry consultant and technical 

advisor at Mayo Macs Sarah-Jane Stewart says 

macadamia nut trees not regularly pruned will 

eventually stop producing optimum yields. 

30 


WINTER 2018 

31

Hi-Tech 

Feed Plan 

Produces Top Grade Nuts 

Using the latest research and development technology, a 

Mpumalanga-based crop maintenance advisor says creating 

a nutrition plan and sticking to it means macadamia 

farmers could now accurately calculate the supplementation 

needs in their orchards to get the best out of their trees. 



Above Stephan Schoeman is an independent advisor in the 

optimal management of tree crops using drip-fertigation. 

While it may seem obvious that the best harvests achieved 

from macadamia trees are dependent largely on climatic 

conditions and soil type, independent consultant and expert, 

Stephan Schoeman says using high-tech systems to accurately 

measure what nutrition the trees lacked was now crucial for 

first grade kernels and wholesome oil production. 

At a recent study group held on the KwaZulu-Natal south 

coast and hosted by the Green Farms Nut Company, 

Schoeman said it was ideal for nutrition planning to start at 

the design phase of an orchard. The decisions made at this 

phase, he said, would dictate the level of control the grower 

could have over optimising management, nutrition and 

water-use over the orchard’s life span. And recent advances 

in technology; in particular, ultra-low-flow drip, fertigation 

systems, variable-speed pumps and automated soil moisture 

probes, now allowed farmers to manage their orchards at 

levels and frequencies that were impossible or impractical just 

a few years ago. “For macadamia trees to produce first grade 

kernel and good wholesome nut oil not only do they require 

water but the full nutrient spectrum. The trees also need 

energy provided by light plus carbon dioxide to complete the 

flowering to fruiting maturation process,” Schoeman said. 

A macadamia tree takes 30 weeks from full bloom to harvest 

and it is in the intimate knowledge of this process, and how 

to balance existing growing conditions to create an ideal 

flowering and nut formation climate, that should form the 

basis of a sound nutrition management plan, he said. 

To get the most out of an orchard Schoeman stressed that 

growers should be managing individual blocks of trees rather 

than entire orchards. He said they must decide how much 

nutrition they are going to supply to those trees and when 

they are going to supply that nutrition and how? Schoeman 

said it was ideal to develop the plan before an orchard was 

planted. And important questions at the pre-development 

should start with an understanding of what types of soils 

are present in the orchard. “The aim is to create balanced 

growing conditions for the trees. If the soil is found to be 

acidic then there will be major nutritional deficiencies 

present which can impact negatively on the nut development 

cycle. The physical character of the soil further influences the 

soil fertility and an amelioration plan will detail how those 

deficiencies should be fixed,” he said. 

The next question was to ask what cultivars were ideal for 

the soil type? Once that was established, Schoeman said, it 

was critical to buy top quality seedlings as the next most 

important step. He said any nutrition plan would effectively 

fail regardless of the precision feeding programme if trees 

were poor. 

Next growers should establish how their trees should be fed 

and what irrigation system would be most suitable for ideal 

growing conditions such as drip irrigation or micro-jets. 

“When you get to this point in your orchard planning then 

the grower must determine what he is going to feed his trees, 

how much and when that food will be applied.” 

For an existing orchard, Schoeman said the results from 

regular leaf, water and soil tests should be used to accurately 

calculate fertiliser requirements in conjunction with nutrient 

replacement values. “Again, this must be based on the cultivar 

and whether the trees are young or old trees. Fertiliser 

application history is also important when calculating what 

reserves remain in the soil,” he said. 

Schoeman said technology platforms were providing an 

exciting environment for growers wanting to ensure the 

best possible planning process in the establishment of new 

orchards or in improving the management of existing trees. 

“AgriWiz is one of those technologies. It is a cloud-based 

research and development platform which I use. Using 

this platform creates a comprehensive plan by integrating 

all the orchard factors and conditions. It evaluates and 

calculates water use, yield, climate, history and soil types. 

The programme then takes all these factors and integrates 

them through the system to create a weekly management 

diary which is moderated by the expected rainfall for that 

week. Sticking to a nutrition plan creates a management 

environment that is efficient, effective and results in optimal 

yields in any growing conditions,” Schoeman said. 

For further information contact 

Stephan Schoeman 

on stephans@soetkalmoes.co.za 

32 


WINTER 2018 

33

Macadamia Expert 

Launches Book 

Renowned macadamia processing 

expert Dorran Bungay (above) 

launched his second book on 

macadamias which he says is 

a comprehensive and intricate 

guide on how to ensure a better 

return and shelf-life for the nuts 

once they are harvested. 

Above Solar powered bins where the 

nuts are cured on the farm before being 

transported to the processors. 

A Wide-Ranging Post-Harvest 

& Processing Guide 

Article Colleen Dardagan 

Images Supplied 

Author and raconteur extraordinaire Dorran Bungay’s long-standing 

romance with South Africa’s macadamia world has now blossomed into 

the launch of his comprehensive best practice guide for the burgeoning 

industry. Launched in May this year, the publication titled Macadamias: 

An Overview and Guide to Preservation Principles and Engineering 

Practice provides a detailed guide - from best practice on-farm and in 

the processing factory - on what has become one of South Africa’s most 

successful export crops. 

Bungay, whose extraordinary life story starts in South Africa before his 

parents moved to the copper belt in the former Northern Rhodesia (now 

Zambia), has not only been shipwrecked and lost at sea for over a week 

while delivering a yacht to the United States but has also worked as a waiter 

in a luxury hotel, studied pathology and botany, qualified as an electrical 

technologist and at one time drove luxury buses for a living. “While I was a 

driver for Springbok Atlas Safaris I had all kinds of adventures throughout 

Southern Africa including places such as the Kruger National Park and the 

Okavango Delta. After I got married I went back to my medical pathology 

studies before taking up a position with an international computer company 

using my electronics background.” 

In 1976, Bungay installed and serviced the first computers installed in a 

branch of the Allied Building Society in the Free State where he met up 

with a German technician who became an “instant” friend. “We set up our 

own television repair and installation business. We were very successful 

and it was at the time that I bought my first Mercedes Benz,” he said. 

Bungay said, however, that after he and his wife divorced, he remembered 

a promise he had made to God while lost at sea that if he survived he 

would serve the Christian faith in return. “I sold my share of the business 

to my partner and moved to Israel where I worked among Christians for six 

months in Jerusalem before landing up in the United States as a missionary 

for three months.” 

As if that wasn’t enough adventure for one lifetime, Bungay returned to the 

former Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) where he joined the Chaplain Corps 

in the armed forces. He met his second wife - a dairy farmer’s daughter - 

soon after independence in 1980 and then joined the Electricity Supply 

Commission where he, in his private time, provided electrical technical 

support to the local farming community including to the first macadamia 

farm in Chipinge in 1981. “We could have stayed in Zimbabwe, but after a 

public meeting in 1983 addressed by the former president, Robert Mugabe, 

we knew it was time to leave,” he said. 

Once in South Africa, Bungay joined Eskom where he became immersed in 

the supply of electricity to agriculture. 

“I qualified as an electrical technologist and did 

everything from construction to distribution 

and performance management. I got to 

know the Eskom systems really well and was 

fortunate, in 1989, to be seconded to the subtropical 

division of Agrelek - the agriculture 

arm of the power utility - in Nelspruit. I 

was given the task of designing electrical 

technologies to improve the demand of what 

were then under-utilised power stations. I was 

initially involved with tobacco, but when it 

all collapsed I got involved, especially, in the 

greenhouse and fruit industries. Macadamia 

nuts were just getting underway,” he said. “I 

learned very quickly, and could see from my 

zoology, botany and technology background 

that the processing methods in South Africa at 

that time were wrong and that macadamia nuts 

needed to be treated with extreme care.” 

From then until today Bungay has had an 

ongoing romance and involvement with the 

intricacies of macadamia nut processing and 

production. “In 1999, Golden Macadamias 

was the first macadamia processing factory 

to use my EMC design for the pre- and postcracking 

curing process. Macadamia nuts 

need to be uniformly cured, each to a precise 

moisture content as opposed to the still, 

commonly employed, erratic drying methods.” 

Since then the curing system has been adopted 

by almost all Southern African growers and 

processors as well as in many macadamia 

systems internationally. 

All the systems designed by Bungay include 

passive solar heat captured from between the 

ceiling and the roof of the factory to pre-heat 

the fresh air intake in order to off-set the cost 

of electrical heating. Almost all of the latest 

designs now include a heat store for storing 

the captured heat for night time use and this 

innovation has become an increasingly popular 

addition to both on-farm and macadamia 

factories. The solar systems are so effective, 

Bungay said, that the energy requirement for 

curing is very affordable. “Because of the everincreasing 

volumes of nuts being produced here 

in South Africa - we may get to 50 000 tons 

this year - it is imperative that we take much 

more care of how we process them to ensure 

that they all survive the many processing steps 

with a good shelf-life. Macadamia quality is 

very dependent on the many salient handling 

and thermodynamic technical risks that must 

be considered from on-the-farm through to 

final marketing to ensure they get premium 

value. “My latest book reflects on my 28 years 

of direct technical service to the industry. 

The book is a substantial update on my first 

publication - Macadamias: Guide to On-farm 

Post-harvest Care - released in 2002. 

On what advice he would offer to farmers who were now starting to plant new 

orchards, Bungay said they should network with existing growers especially 

those in their specific areas. “The South African macadamia growers must 

know what they are doing in their own conditions, particularly when you 

see the evolution underway in our industry at the moment. Farmers must 

know their soils, they must know how to develop the contours in their 

orchards, manage water effectively and if they are not getting between two 

and four tons a hectare then I don’t think it is worth it,” he said. 

Warning about the excessive use of pesticides, Bungay says just by 

walking into an orchard he knows whether or not it is in good health. 

“An experienced farmer can see at a glance whether all the ‘good guys’ are 

there, and all the important pollinators. The industry has to be very careful 

that it doesn’t get so caught up in production in which important aspects 

such as the health of the environment takes a backseat. There are serious 

consequences to the overuse, misuse and misapplication of chemicals,” 

he said. 

To anticipate a high return on investment it was also essential that the 

grower had a good understanding of the correct post-harvest risk areas and 

care methods and that he invested in the installation of and efficient and 

effective processing systems. Post-harvest losses, especially those associated 

with increasing volumes, theft and vermin, potential inclement weather 

(climate change) and the possible delay of harvest delivery to the processor, 

could be avoided, Bungay said. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

34 


WINTER 2018 

35

4 

Industry 

nuts 

&bolts 

The Very Latest On 

Harvesting & Orchard 

Maintenance 

Above Robbie Childes from Netafim 

discusses the vagaries of drip irrigation 

with a macadamia nut farmer at the 

recent Green Farms Nut Company 

Industry Day at Port Edward. 

Right Sabelo Ngcobo from the 

Department of Agriculture and 

Environment Affairs speaks to 

macadamia nut farmers on how they 

should be protecting the environment at 

the recent Southern Natal Macadamia 

Association study group day. 

Above José De Nobrega puts the AMB Rousset R19 

macadamia nut harvester through its paces at the 

recent Green Farms Nut Company grower day at 

Port Edward on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast. 

Left Macadamia nut farmers at the Green Farms 

Nut Company Industry Day at Port Edward in 

KwaZulu-Natal were treated to a display of 

equipment which included this orchard mist sprayer. 

Left Sales representatives from 

Lawnmower Centre and MF 

Tractor Parts put the latest wood 

chipper to the test at Immergrun 

Farm on the KZN south coast. 

Below Richard Wichmann 

shows growers the finer points 

of pruning at the Southern 

Natal Macadamia Association’s 

study group day held recently at 

Immergrun Farm.. 


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