Leaders from Australia’s macadamia industry will assemble this week to gain knowledge of how to better their production and further raise productivity in order to satisfy increasing global demand.
Over 200 macadamia growers will be present at ‘MacGroup’ workshops and field trips to the Glass House Mountains on 12 July; as well as 13 July in Gympie and 15 July in Bundaberg.
These workshops will concentrate on the industry’s Integrated Orchard Nutrition (ION) course. This will be further progressed by local field outings to a multitude of local macadamia orchards, presenting orchards that have recently incorporated beneficial nutritional and other programmes.
The recently developed ION programme is a fresh concept formed after thorough advice and discussion with producers, industry consultants, experts in agriculture and processors. The have been crafted via a levy-funded research project organised by Qeensland Department of Agriculture & Fisheries (QDAF) soil scientist Dr Tim Smith and the University of Queensland’s Dr Bernhard Wehr. The course centers on three essential aspects; organic matter, nutrient moderation and supply, and soil moisture. It is built to work alongside the new Integrated Orchard Management (IOM), which was created a year ago to enlarge profits and manufacture in macadamia orchards.
The forthcoming details to be discussed this week are expected to generate a massive surplus for the Australian macadamia industry, which is seeking to make an increase in productivity from approximately 2.4 tonnes per ha over the coming couple of years. The move could possibly add a further 15,000 tonnes to the crop volume, and also increase the industry's value, which is already at a staggering A$65m.
