Australian macadamia crop reaches 46,000 tonnes in-shell
Australian macadamia growers have produced a crop of 46,000 tonnes in-shell at 10% moisture for the 2017 season.
It notes that rain and flooding from Tropical Cyclone Debbie in March and record rainfall in the Northern Rivers region in June significantly impacted the crop, which is around 10% lower than the forecast issued post Cyclone Debbie. Kernel production is down marginally at 9,000 tonnes.
Having said that, global demand for macadamias remains strong across all markets for both kernel and in-shell and the Australian macadamia industry continues to contribute with its global marketing effort, which has just seen the launch of the first stage of its new three-year international marketing strategy.
The industry’s market development manager Lynne Ziehlke says the strategy is designed to further drive steady growth in global demand in anticipation of more robust supply becoming available in the coming years.
“In preparation for the expected increases in global production, we’ve ramped up our commitment to the kernel market with the launch of a new initiative designed to encourage greater use of kernel in food products,” explains Ziehlke.
The initiative includes an ‘innovation challenge’ to discover new product concepts and a series of consumer research aimed at uncovering new insights.
Meanwhile, Australian macadamia growers are investing significant time and resources into nurturing the 2018 crop, with preparations well underway for the next harvest which will begin in February.