Conference on developing macadamia trees in Vietnam

A conference on developing macadamia trees in Vietnam was held in Dak Lak province on September 29.

At the event (Photo:VGP)
At the event (Photo:VGP)

The conference was attended by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc along with representatives of ministries, departments, branches and 23 provinces where macadamia are being grown, as well as a community of businesses and households involved in planting, processing and selling macadamia products.

Speaking at the conference, PM Phuc emphasised the need for a new development strategy for macadamia, including planning, varieties, markets, and investment capital.

According to the data at the conference, after five years of implementing macadamia tree planning, up to now, 23 provinces are growing macadamia trees on an area of over 16,500 hectares.

Vietnam’s macadamia products have been exported to large markets such as Japan, China, the Republic of Korea (RoK), Singapore, the US and France, with an output of over 2,400 tonnes of dried product per year.

The PM said that there are few plants that can increase productivity 24 to 25 times and contribute to poverty reduction for disadvantaged people in remote areas. That is the premise for Vietnam to be responsible for the investment in and development of this valuable crop.

According to forecasts, in the near future, both output supply and demand in the world is set to increase rapidly with a supply increase of 9% per year and demand rising by 12% per year. This is an important basis for Vietnam to develop its macadamia areas and participate in the market in the period of 2021-2030 and the years beyond.

PM Phuc assessed that the initial results showing the development of macadamia trees in the past three years having increased 25 times in volume, reaching 7,000 tonnes of macadamia nuts; while, of these, Vietnam exported over 80%. This is an important victory for Vietnam's agricultural sector.

In addition, the PM noted the issue of planning land for macadamia cultivation in the Northwest, Central Highlands and central region.

At the conference, the Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) and the Vietnam Macadamia Association to build a macadamia tree development plan for the country. The MARD was urged to develop a decree on developing macadamia trees, aiming at easing the current fragmentation of production.