Successful macadamia season in Tuan Giao

Ms. Pham Thi Tuyen, Vice Chairman of Tuan Giao District People's Committee, inspected macadamia gardens and determined the 2023 harvest.

Near mid-August, macadamia gardens in Tuan Giao entered the harvest season. Plants planted in 2018 and earlier have yielded stable yields with a large amount of fruit. Plants planted in 2019 and 2020 have begun to bear fruit. With about 1,000 hectares of macadamia fruiting area, this year's macadamia season in Tuan Giao is more bustling than previous years.

At the collection point of Dien Bien Macadamia Joint Stock Company, hundreds of bags of fresh macadamia nuts are neatly lined up, waiting to be transported to the processing and preparation area. This year, the Company has about 250 hectares of macadamia nuts bearing fruit, an increase of 100 hectares compared to last year. The macadamia area is spread over 9 hills. To promptly harvest and protect the macadamia gardens, the Company hires dozens to nearly a hundred local people to simultaneously harvest each hill, with a salary of 2,500 VND/kg of fruit, creating seasonal jobs for local people.

Mr. Do Van Huu, representative of Macadamia Joint Stock Company said: “ This year , the Company harvested nearly 200 tons of fruit, an increase compared to last year due to the addition of some areas for harvesting and this year's productivity is also better, the quality is still maintained well. The Company currently has a total area of 800 hectares, in the following years it will certainly harvest more”.

Currently in Tuan Giao district, the area of scattered macadamia trees (planted by local people) that have produced fruit is larger than the area of enterprises. The area of scattered trees is mainly concentrated in Quai Nua commune. Mr. Lo Van Chanh's family in Pha Nang village started experimentally planting macadamia trees in 2013 and has been harvesting fruit for many years. This year, his family has nearly 100 fruiting trees, with a total harvest of nearly 2 tons.

Mr. Chanh said: “On average, each macadamia tree in my family produces 20kg of fresh fruit, with a selling price of 30,000 - 35,000 VND/kg. This year, the price is lower than previous years, but the purchasing power is high. Many traders and individuals come to order and buy in large quantities, the family cannot pick in time or does not have enough to sell. Therefore, this year's harvest season is happening quickly. Although the price is not as good as the first years, macadamia produces more fruit each year, so it still brings good economic value and a good income for the family."

This year, the demand for macadamia nuts is high, because there are many traders and macadamia processing facilities in the area. *In the photo: Mrs. Doan Thi Thoa's macadamia processing facility purchased about 40 tons of fresh fruit.*

With that economic efficiency, Mr. Chanh's family, like many other macadamia growers in the area, is actively taking care of and expanding the planting area, while replacing unproductive and low-quality trees. Mr. Chanh shared that in the early days of experimental planting, he did not know how to choose the right macadamia variety, so now there are trees that yield 40 - 50 kg of fruit, but there are trees that only yield a few kg of fruit. Therefore, each year, Mr. Chanh "filters" some trees, cuts them down, and replaces them with new ones. Along with that, this year his family invested in planting 100 more trees. According to his calculations, with the existing areas, in just 3 - 5 years, his family will have a guaranteed source of income from macadamia with hundreds of trees for harvest.

This year, a large amount of macadamia nuts were purchased, but supply could not meet demand because more and more people knew about the health benefits of macadamia nuts. Many businesses in the district have invested in facilities, machinery, and purchased macadamia nuts for processing, with prices ranging from 25,000 - 40,000 VND/kg of fresh fruit; and sold to the market for about 270,000 - 300,000 VND/kg of dried fruit. Thanks to that, Tuan Giao macadamia products are not only consumed in the province but also in other provinces and cities in the country.

This season, the processing facility of Ms. Doan Thi Thoa's family (Tan Giang block, Tuan Giao town) also continues to purchase macadamia nuts from gardens in the district for processing. Ms. Thoa shared: "I buy macadamia nuts and select them according to fruit size. Small fruits are peeled to get the kernels, and fresh kernels are sold to those in need. Large, beautiful fruits will be carefully inspected, dried, and shelled to be canned for sale. This year, many people buy macadamia nuts, so the season ends quickly . Our facility has purchased more than 40 tons of fresh fruit, processed quickly, ensuring quality, and supplied to familiar markets, such as: Dien Bien, Hanoi , Hung Yen, Bac Ninh, Hai Phong..."

The 2023 macadamia season has ended, and farmers, businesses and macadamia processing households in Tuan Giao have all reaped worthy results. Ms. Pham Thi Tuyen, Vice Chairman of Tuan Giao District People's Committee, commented: "The productivity, quality and consumption of macadamia this season once again confirm that this is a suitable crop for Tuan Giao. Next year, the area of macadamia trees bearing fruit and the output of macadamia will increase significantly. The district continues to focus on caring for and developing the area of macadamia trees in the area and building linkages to ensure output for this agricultural product."

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