LTS: Macadamia is a crop with potential market consumption, high economic value in suitable growing areas, and high yield. However, it is also a plant with strict specific requirements in terms of climate, soil, variety, etc. Therefore, not every place can be suitable for growing macadamia, but you have to be very careful.

People listen and follow the Macadamia Association

While authorities from the province to the municipality in Nghe An have yet to investigate and assess the current macadamia situation, companies and the Vietnam Macadamia Association have sent people to the countryside. Seminars are held in Nghe An to advise farmers on how to grow macadamia.

The Vietnam Macadamia Association has recognized that there are macadamia orchards that have been planted with fruit for a long time and has filmed and edited clips to disseminate them. The association also consulted local government officials to hold seminars and encourage people to grow macadamia. In addition, Bao Ngoc Trading and Service Co., Ltd (abbreviated as Bao Ngoc Company) has also completed the construction of a seedling nursery covering an area of ​​up to 2.5 hectares. Macadamia seedlings with real seeds are cultivated here. When the tree is strong, the cuttings of the main trees are brought for grafting.

Mr. Duong Tien Thanh, Director of Bao Ngoc Company and Chairman of Nghe An Macadamia Branch, said, “All the cuttings come from the top varieties of Him Lam Macadamia (Lam Dong) and the Experimental Center Institute of Forest Biotechnology and Seed Research). These leading macadamia trees have been recognized and licensed by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

During the seminars, Bao Ngoc Company made a commitment: Farmers who buy macadamia varieties from the company will be supported with 50% of the microorganic fertilizer produced by the company and free shipping of the seedlings to the planting site. If seedlings don’t bear fruit after five years of planting, the company will refund 12 times the amount of seeds farmers spent on the purchase.

For its products, the company is committed to purchasing all macadamia nuts within 10 years from the date they fruit at a price equal to 85% of the Australian wholesale price at the time of purchase.

From here, too, the wave of macadamia cultivation has pushed hundreds of farmers to the western part of Nghe. And to meet people’s needs, Bao Ngoc Company has exported 40,000 seed pots every year. Accordingly, localities in Nghe An have planted more than 300 ha of macadamia from 2021 to date, of which Quy Hop 70 ha, Nghia Dan 50 ha, Quynh Luu 30 ha…

Mr. Hoang Van Khuyen from Minh Lam Village in Nghia Lam Township (Nghia Dan District) took me to visit the macadamia nut orchards of farmers in this township. As he walked, he said, “Before our people planted macadamia nuts, Cong Bao Ngoc Company, in cooperation with the Commune Farmers’ Association, we arranged for us to travel to Quy Hop District to attend a workshop where we would support the technical team who gave us instructions on how to grow and care for macadamia trees. Connect to support seedlings, then transport and buy all products. When the villagers returned, they sent a macadamia cultivation registration list, thanking the community farmers’ association for connecting with the Bao Ngoc Company.

If we take a close look at Mr. Khuyen’s garden, there are about 300 macadamia trees planted in an area of ​​8 Sao (500 m2/Sao). We see that all the trees are green and have an average height of more than 3 m. The cultivar structure in the garden consists of 3 cultivars planted alternately with one cultivar in each row. Mr. Khuyen said that Hau Thu family planted 300 trees together with him, Luong Van Loi 300 trees, Le Van Gianh 200 trees, Truong Minh Tranh 200 trees…

Mr. Phan Van Phu, former Party Committee Secretary, Nghia Yen Township (Nghia Dan District) People’s Committee Chairman, now a technical officer at Bao Ngoc Company, told me, “People’s demand for macadamia plantations is great.” Very great . , Places have adopted the Bao Ngoc Company’s seeds for planting, including in Quy Hop District, there are farmers in Yen Hop, Van Loi, Ha Son and Chau Cuong Communes; in Nghia Dan district there are Nghia Lac and Nghia Lam communes. In Thai Hoa City, there are Tay Hieu Township and Quang Tien District; in Tan Ky district there are Giai Xuan, Tan Phu and Tan Hop communities.

When the farmers received the company’s seeds, the technical team went to each garden to teach everyone how to properly care for the plants according to each growth stage.

I asked: Currently, there are no specific recommendations for farmers to grow macadamia in Nghe An Province. Do you know that? Mr Phu said, “We know that, but we see no way to stop people from growing macadamia nuts. That’s why we’re very careful. First, we took into account the number of macadamia acreage that the people of Cong. Preserve Bao.” Ngoc company is the role model, but the role model, we and people need to develop the right technique. We have also prepared for the next period when the plants are about to flower and if the weather is not favorable we will guide the farmers. People use biological products to influence the tree so that the tree artificially blooms and bears fruit?

Municipal and district leaders know nothing of the case

At present, the land resources, especially forest areas in western Nghe An are very large, but people only know how to plant acacia trees, so each 6-7-year cycle brings in only about 100 million VND/ha. One hectare of land takes a lot of effort and money, but brings in only 15-16 million dong every year, which is too meager. However, farmers are still struggling and don’t know what to plant to make a breakthrough.

So when I heard that growing a plant in Nghe An is quite new and is being “touted” as having high economic efficiency and the opportunity to get rich, everyone got very excited.

In order to develop the macadamia tree in Nghe An, the Vietnam Macadamia Association recently held seminars at the People’s Committee of Nghia Dan District and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An Province. And the Nghe An Macadamia branch organizes workshops in Yen Hop communities (Quy Hop district); Nghia Lac, Nghia Lam, Nghia Duc (Nghia Dan District)…

At the meeting between the Vietnam Macadamia Association and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An on June 15, 2022, Ms. Vo Thi Nhung – Deputy Director of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An said that the agricultural sector of the province had done so There is no specific assessment of the potential, utility and efficiency of macadamia plantations in the province. Therefore, in the coming period, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Nghe An and related departments will coordinate with the Vietnam Macadamia Association to conduct a holistic review and reassessment from planting area planning to breeding work.

According to Ms. Nhung, the policy of developing macadamia trees in Nghe An is still awaiting planning. So when will there be a plan, and when will there be a plan? There is no planning and no recommendations from the authorities, but people are still growing macadamia nuts.

The strange thing is that until now, when the author of this article surveyed some localities in Nghe An, none of the community and district heads knew how many households grow macadamia in their administrative area. Even the area that was planted before and now nobody knows.

Quy Hop District Vice Chairman Mr. Quan Vi Giang said: The ancient macadamia tree in Quy Hop does not exist, but if it exists, it is not worth much, and because it is not effective, people fell for it to plant other trees.

“And what about the new planting area?” I asked. Mr Hop said: “People have scattered the planting in the form of spontaneous plants, we have not investigated this thoroughly at this time, but the district has not yet focused on growing macadamia.”

Also in Nghia Dan district, those responsible only told the municipalities that they had no guidance as they knew that many people grow macadamia nuts.

“Macadamia is not included in the main provincial tree, it is currently in the experimental phase. The ministry and the province have not taken any steps or provided any documents on macadamia cultivation. As for human-planted macadamia acreage, if we see results, we will continue to invest in and have guidelines for their development, but scientists need to have a clear view of the geology, the soil, and the results. According to management, “Based on this, there will be rescheduling, not spontaneous,” said Nguyen Thanh Vinh, director of Nghe An’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development.