By Gareth Wright
A pluviophile is someone who finds peace and comfort when it rains. I am one of those people. The very thought of one of the worst droughts ever in 2027 fills me with dread. Watching the wildfires raging across Europe as the north experiences another African summer, I wonder what lies ahead for us. Temperatures that soar to more than 40 degrees? Probably. Water restrictions will most certainly come into play as we watch the veld, crops and our gardens shrivel in the scorching heat. In this edition of The Macadamia, crop expert Philip Lee offers some sage advice on how to prepare for the “super” El Niño event, which, according to experts, is already “firmly established and rapidly intensifying in the Pacific Ocean”. South Africa’s stand-out agri-processing co-op, UCL, is committed to cutting its greenhouse emissions as it sells off 65 heavy-duty diesel trucks and replaces them with 35 electric vehicles. The co-op, in Dalton in the KwaZulu- Natal Midlands, is a beacon of best practice in every way, and others in the sector might do well to follow its lead. Solar expert Shaun Worthmann believes there is massive potential for electric vehicles in the macadamia industry, particularly among farmers who are trying to balance their books as diesel prices skyrocket after the blockade in the Strait of Hormuz. Also in this edition, we talk to Dieter Lütge, a sugarcane and macadamia farmer from Darnall on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast, who started developing his macadamia orchards in 2016 on a cash-only basis. With 60ha under orchards now, Lütge developed just 10ha at a time, and only when he could afford them, which means after input cost deductions, revenue is pure profit. KwaZulu-Natal’s commercial agriculture union, Kwanalu, is promoting small agri- business development in the areas around Pietermaritzburg with great success, while foodie Kirsten Dickerson offers a delicious macadamia dip recipe that she says she often eats with her breakfast! Finally, SAMAC is urging members to attend its inaugural roadshow events as the association plans to take its information days to the country’s macadamia-growing regions.
