Vinh Thanh (Binh Dinh) District affirms that macadamia trees are only effective on Vinh Son land and does not have a policy on reproduction to other places as the climate is not suitable. This shows that macadamia trees have very specific climate and soil requirements, each location is suitable for a particular variety, not all locations are suitable for growing macadamia.

God is endowed only with Vinh Son land

After more than 10 years of Mr. Dang Van Khanh bringing macadamia trees to the Vinh Son highlands, this is the sixth year that Mr. Dang Van Khanh has harvested the fruits on the first macadamia plantations in K8 village. So far, Mr. Khanh has confirmed that the macadamia tree is suitable for the soil and climate of Vinh Son Highlands, so the tree grows well, bears fruit and flowers in cycles, and gives good yield, yield and selling price. Stable.

According to Mr. Khanh, in December 2012, the tree had planted the first 2 hectares of macadamia in K8 village (Vinh Son commune), but in September 2017, it started yielding divination results. Since then, five years have passed in which he has planted 0.5 to 1 ha more, until now his family has planted about 6 ha of macadamia. Every year, from December of the previous year to February of the following year, the macadamia tree blooms and bears fruit. From April to May, macadamia processors come to the garden to deposit money for the purchase. When harvest comes, just pick up the phone and the processing plant will transport the machines into the garden to load up the macadamia nuts for purchase.

According to Mr. Khanh’s calculation, his first macadamia acreage was planted on Vinh Son’s land, although it was not properly cultivated, only about 15kg of manure per tree per year, 1kg of NPK fertilizer, and he only irrigated it twice a year in dry season, but each tree also yielded 20kg of fruit/year. With proper intensive farming, each tree must yield 45-50 kg of fruit per year from the 6th year.

Currently, the price of macadamia is 90,000 VND/kg (peeled fruit). With the semi-intensive macadamia acreage, the income for 20kg peeled fruit/tree every year is about 1.8 million VND/year. 310 trees can grow on 1 ha, so each hectare of macadamia nuts brings the producers an income of about 500 million dong. This is the dream money of Vinh Son mountain people.

“Compared to other fruit trees growing on Vinh Son land, macadamia trees are very well suited to the local soil and climate. I don’t know where, but on the land of Vinh Son, every village can grow macadamia nuts. “If all areas growing cassava and acacia in Vinh Son country are switched to macadamia, I guarantee there will be no poor households in this highland community,” Khanh said.

According to Khanh, in 2017, the price of shelled macadamia nuts was only 75,000 VND/kg, three years ago the price ranged from 85,000 to 120,000 VND/kg, until the start of this 2023 macadamia harvest, the price of shelled fruit was 90,000 VND/kg. Since prices have been quite stable for many years, there is no tree with higher economic efficiency on this Vinh Son land.

“It doesn’t cost much to grow 1 hectare of macadamia nuts, high-quality seedlings currently cost VND 60,000-65,000/tree, each hectare with 310 trees costs more than VND 20 million. Machine digging of holes costs VND 10,000/hole, digging 310 holes per hectare, and it costs another VND 3.1 million. Each tree invests in 1 bag of dried cow manure, which is transported to the garden and sold at 22,000 VND/bag, which costs almost 7 million VND more. Thus, each hectare of newly planted macadamia requires an investment of only about VND 30 million, this investment is suitable for the ability of many households. Meanwhile, once planted, a macadamia tree can theoretically be harvested for many decades,” said Mr. Dang Van Khanh.

Planting attempts in neighboring communities brought no fruit

Although Mr. Dang Van Khanh has been benefiting from macadamia trees for six years, he still recommends farmers not to plant this plant indiscriminately, but to select quality seedlings from reputable and high-quality seedling suppliers introduced by professional agencies and the Vietnam Macadamia Association instead of buying seedlings , which are sold floating in the market to plant them to avoid “loss of money”.

After Mr. Khanh’s macadamia planting area was found to be effective in Vinh Son, many farmers with deforested land also came to his macadamia orchard and asked to buy shoots for sowing, but he did not sell. Because he knew that growing macadamia trees with seedlings that would later develop from tree shoots was only used for firewood, but the tree would not bear fruit. Mr. Khanh was once taken by the Vietnam Macadamia Association to visit the gardens specializing in the production of macadamia seedlings. Therefore, he knew that the production process for producing high-quality seedlings was very complicated.

“They went into the garden to buy shoots that I had not sold and stole them to make seeds. When I planted macadamia like this, after 5 years the tree just stood still and did not bear fruit, and then even regretted that there was not enough money to buy seedlings. As for the possibility of buying quality seedlings, if necessary, I am ready to refer to a reputable place according to the instructions.

Anyone who wants to ask me how to grow and care for macadamia trees is always available. Every day I go to the Vietnam Macadamia Association’s Zalo group to share information. The Vietnam Macadamia Association has also come here many times to visit my macadamia model,” shared Mr. Khanh.

According to Mr. Le Minh Thong, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Vinh Thanh (Binh Dinh) District, macadamia trees have been growing in this district for a little over 10 years. As this is a new plant, the functional area is very restrained in the development of the district.

“The soil in Vinh Son commune has its own characteristics as basalt soil, which is very suitable for this culture. In particular, the climate in Vinh Son is a temperate climate zone. The temperature during the flowering and fruiting period of the macadamia tree is suitable, so the yield is quite good. “The macadamia areas that have come to the business stage in Vinh Son land in recent years have shown high economic efficiency,” Thong said.

According to Mr. Thong, noting that macadamia trees are suitable for the soil and climate of Vinh Son, in the coming period, the Vinh Thanh district government will mobilize the people of Vinh Son to rearrange harvesting and multiply the area planted with macadamia nuts.

Mr. Thong added that in Vinh Son Municipality, the area that will be reforested and other inefficient trees that can be converted into macadamia trees is currently estimated at about 2,000 hectares. The district will recruit people to grow macadamia nuts and mobilize them to improve their lives. 1 ha of planted forest now, after 5 years, when exploited, minus all costs, the profit is about 50-70 million VND/ha, cassava is only about 50 million VND/ha. While 1 ha of macadamia nuts bears fruit after 5 years of planting and yields up to hundreds of million Dong/ha/year.

“The investment for 1 hectare of macadamia nuts is also eligible for 1 preferential rate loan from Vinh Thanh District Policy Bank. So this is a good starting point for young couples who just separated from their households in Vinh Son commune to start their own business. his hometown. Currently, Vinh Thanh district is conducting regional planning. Based on the regional planning, we will make a plan to change the structure of crops for each specific tree species to mobilize people for implementation, including switching to macadamia nut cultivation,” said Mr. Le Minh Thong, Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Vinh Thanh District.

According to Mr. Bui Tan Thanh, the chairman of the Vinh Thanh District People’s Committee, he understood that the macadamia trees planted in the highland Vinh Son commune were effective, and personally brought the seeds to plant in Vinh Thanh town and neighboring communes plant, but did not know which tree it was bearing fruit. Since then, Vinh Thanh district has found that macadamia trees are only suitable for the soil and climate in Vinh Son, but other municipalities in the district are not allowed to grow them.

“Macadamia is very suitable for basaltic red soil, but in order for macadamia to flower and bear fruit, a suitable temperature is required, because not every land where macadamia is grown flowers and bears fruit.” As for the soil, macadamia trees are not very strict, but the most important thing is the weather and climate, especially the period when the macadamia tree blooms and bears fruit. The stage of flowering and fruiting of macadamia trees is suitable for the background of low temperatures. When the temperature is high, the tree is dead, not flowering and not bearing fruit,” said Dr.