The northern province of Dien Bien, which has perfect conditions forgrowing macadamia trees, has invested in cultivating the lucrative cropin a bid to reduce poverty and eradicate hunger in the locality.
In 2009, Quang Van Tay in Bua 2 village, Ang To commune, Muong Angdistrict was the first farmer to plant macadamia trees as part of theprovince’s Danish-Vietnamese cooperation project, which provided himwith financial and technical assistance.
The macadamia trees, combined with coffee plants, flourished on his land and brought a promising first harvest.
Following Tay’s success, the project invested 200 million VND (9,500USD) to extend macadamia cultivation to more than 15ha in Muong Angdistrict during the 2011-2012 period.
Director ofMacadamia Dien Bien JSC, Pham Duy Thanh, said the province planned tocultivate the crop on more than 4,000ha in Dien Bien, Tuan Giao andMuong Ang districts. So far, 3,400ha have been planted with macadamiatrees.
According to experts, as many as 300 treescan grow on each hectare. The trees can bear nuts for 60 years, startingfrom the fifth year onwards, with output peaking at nearly 5 tonnesduring the 9th year.
Currently, macadamia nuts sellfor 250.000-300.000 VND per kilogramme (11.9–14.28 USD/kg), which ismore profitable than coffee beans. Plus, it costs less to cultivatemacadamia trees than coffee plans. Farmers can generate lucrativeprofits from selling the trees’ valuable nuts and sturdy wooden trunks.
Director of the provincial Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development Pham Duc Hien said that intercroppingmacadamia with coffee plants was a sustainable way to grow the crop,whilst increasing the efficiency of coffee crops and farmers’ incomes.
The macadamia nut is dubbed “the Queen of Nuts” for its extraordinary nutritional value.
Experts said compared to other common edible seeds, such as almondsand cashews, macadamias are high in fat and low in protein. Out of allthe seeds and nuts, macadamias have the highest amounts ofmono-unsaturated fats.
The plant,indigenous to Australia, was introduced to Vietnam in 2002 for trialcultivation. Local scientists took soil samples and found that thenorthwestern and Central Highland regions had the best growingconditions for the plant.
Mostnotably, on a per tree basis, Vietnam’s macadamia trees have producedthe same, and higher, yields as Australia, the world’s number onemacadamia cultivator.-VNA
In 2009, Quang Van Tay in Bua 2 village, Ang To commune, Muong Angdistrict was the first farmer to plant macadamia trees as part of theprovince’s Danish-Vietnamese cooperation project, which provided himwith financial and technical assistance.
The macadamia trees, combined with coffee plants, flourished on his land and brought a promising first harvest.
Following Tay’s success, the project invested 200 million VND (9,500USD) to extend macadamia cultivation to more than 15ha in Muong Angdistrict during the 2011-2012 period.
Director ofMacadamia Dien Bien JSC, Pham Duy Thanh, said the province planned tocultivate the crop on more than 4,000ha in Dien Bien, Tuan Giao andMuong Ang districts. So far, 3,400ha have been planted with macadamiatrees.
According to experts, as many as 300 treescan grow on each hectare. The trees can bear nuts for 60 years, startingfrom the fifth year onwards, with output peaking at nearly 5 tonnesduring the 9th year.
Currently, macadamia nuts sellfor 250.000-300.000 VND per kilogramme (11.9–14.28 USD/kg), which ismore profitable than coffee beans. Plus, it costs less to cultivatemacadamia trees than coffee plans. Farmers can generate lucrativeprofits from selling the trees’ valuable nuts and sturdy wooden trunks.
Director of the provincial Department ofAgriculture and Rural Development Pham Duc Hien said that intercroppingmacadamia with coffee plants was a sustainable way to grow the crop,whilst increasing the efficiency of coffee crops and farmers’ incomes.
The macadamia nut is dubbed “the Queen of Nuts” for its extraordinary nutritional value.
Experts said compared to other common edible seeds, such as almondsand cashews, macadamias are high in fat and low in protein. Out of allthe seeds and nuts, macadamias have the highest amounts ofmono-unsaturated fats.
The plant,indigenous to Australia, was introduced to Vietnam in 2002 for trialcultivation. Local scientists took soil samples and found that thenorthwestern and Central Highland regions had the best growingconditions for the plant.
Mostnotably, on a per tree basis, Vietnam’s macadamia trees have producedthe same, and higher, yields as Australia, the world’s number onemacadamia cultivator.-VNA
