LATEST ARTICLES
Annual Nedbank Sugar Mac Festival hits the right note
Held in the picturesque town of Mtunzini on KwaZulu-Natal’s North Coast, the recent 2026 Nedbank Sugar Mac Festival offered something for everyone.
Pollen storing – academic study
Dr Angelique Kritizinger who is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Plant and Soil Sciences at the University of Pretoria describes how building a foundation for future artificial pollination success could ultimately lead to improved production where natural pollination is limited.
Chantilly macs – where cash is king
Cutting his coat to suit his cloth while farming for the bigger picture are essential ingredients in the recipe for successful macadamia and sugarcane farming at Chantilly Farm on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast.
SAMAC hits the road
South Africa’s macadamia industry association SAMAC will host four information events in Mpumalanga, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape in September to meet and interact with members in the regions where they live and grow the country’s macadamia crop.
Preparing for the dry cycle, 2026 to ?
Meteorologists are warning of a significant El Niño event developing in the coming spring and summer, which could bring the most severe drought conditions in years. Philip Lee of CompleteLee Nuts Consulting explains what macadamia growers can do now to prepare.
Mac nuts bring versatility to the kitchen
In the food industry for more than 20 years, Kirsten Dickerson rates macadamia nuts as the most versatile ingredient in her kitchen – and her handmade macadamia pâté is proof.
Mac farmers urged to ‘vasbyt’ as crop growth pressures markets
South Africa’s macadamia farmers have produced a crop well above early industry predictions, raising concerns that 2027 prices will come under renewed pressure.
Massive savings as KZN agri-processor switches to heavy-duty EVs
While the macadamia industry has yet to generate enough electricity to go off-grid, agri-processors in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands are providing a glimpse of what is possible as they move to replace their entire fleet with electric vehicles by 2030.
Women and young people reap agriculture training rewards
Training success by KwaZulu-Natal’s commercial agriculture union, Kwanalu, has resulted in thousands of young people in the province growing their agri-businesses while creating much-needed employment in their communities.
Letter from the Editor – Winter 2026
Ed’s letter
Vos Plant offers turnkey solution for mac farmers
Macadamia farmers in the Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces need look no further than Vos Plant for all their orchard development requirements – from bush clearing to tree planting and everything in between. By Colleen Dardagan Top earth-moving machinery rental business...
Growing South Africa’s mac supply without shrinking value
How South Africa’s macadamia industry’s tackles the next chapter in its history will define the longevity of its influence on world markets and production standards, writes Alex Whyte, Executive Chairman of Green Farms Nut Company. By Alex Whyte As the world’s leading...
Bugweed blight offers curative alternatives
New research out of the University of KwaZulu-Natal suggests that the invasive Bugweed has compounds able to provide sustainable and affordable therapies, which includes treatment for cancer and for use in antibiotics. By Colleen Dardagan As most farmers are ardent...
Beating the (coconut) bug in macadamia orchards
The proliferation of the coconut bug (Pseudotheraptus wayi) in orchards, particularly those in low riverine areas and close to natural bush, is concerning as the pest is able to complete its entire life cycle on the macadamia, writes Dr Schalk Schoeman from Sonbesie...
Cruising the crashes
The last two decades – evolution of macadamia orchard management in South Africa. By Philip Lee Many of the changes in horticultural management practices over the last two decades, and indeed the two decades before 2005, were precipitated by fluctuating world market...
Macadamias take centre stage on SA Masterchef 2026
By Colleen Dardagan On Easter Sunday, macadamia nuts were the star of the show for the 20 chefs battling it out for the R1 million award on SA Masterchef 2026. In the episode, contestants were tasked with creating delicious plant-based meals suitable for a modern...
Green biotechnology to speed up Aussie mac conservation
Australian scientists are using green biotechnology to accelerate conservation banking efforts of six of the country’s exceptional priority plants, including the indigenous macadamia, M.jansenii. By Colleen Dardagan The project, led by Alice Hayward, a Plant Molecular...
AmberMacs industry day welcomes 3 000 visitors
By Colleen Dardagan The annual “one-stop-shop” AmberMacs Industry Day held in February was a cracking success. More than 3 000 people visited the two-day event and 145 industry suppliers and services exhibited – 80% of the exhibitors were at the show for the first...
Macadamia nuts offer food security hope for Africa
Academics and NGOs are turning to macadamias for food security and crop diversity in southern Ethiopia and Malawi, where traditional crop yields are plummeting due to the impact of climate change. By Colleen Dardagan Scaled macadamia production in Ethiopia has the...
Venda vision drives small-scale macadamia production
For the first time, more than 150 small-scale macadamia farmers in rural Limpopo will have access to a nut-processing plant, thanks to the vision of local commercial macadamia and horticultural farmer Gene Likhanya and the SAB Foundation. By Colleen Dardagan What...
Homegrown wasp readies to tackle macadamia felted coccid in SA orchards
Another wasp is making waves in South Africa’s macadamia industry, this time a natural predator of the felted coccid, which has arrived in the country and is under quarantine readying for release. The dominant regular predator of Australia’s naturally occurring felted...
Stinkbugs meet their match in SA’s mac orchards
Pictured Above: Hugo Bester Macadamia farmers across South Africa are hailing the parasitoid wasp, Trissolcus basalis, as a deadly strike weapon in their war on stinkbugs. Improved nut quality is proof of the insect predator’s success, they say. While Trissolcus...
Letter From The Editor – Spring Edition
On the day The Macadamia magazine went to print, SAMAC CEO Lizel Pretorius confirmed that South Africa’s macadamia exports were no longer subject to the additional 30% reciprocal duty into the United States. No fanfare – as when the tariffs were first imposed by US...
Macadamia Magic: Win a R3,000+ Product Hamper
To celebrate the launch of the latest Macadamia Magazine and the exciting new macadamia products featured in this edition, we’ve teamed up with Shisa Briquetts, The Nutty Kitchen, Green Farms Nut Company, Nathi Skin Care, Simply Macnificent and Giraf Macadamia to give...
