The Australian Macadamia Society has released figures for the 2019 season with macadamia growers producing a crop of 43,500 tonnes in-shell.
The result is slightly higher than the industry's previous forecast of 42,900 tonnes and is based on actual factory receipts of the Australian Macadamia Handlers Association until the end of October.
Australian Macadamia Society CEO Jolyon Burnett said that despite the impact of the unusually long, hot dry summer early in the year, harvest conditions throughout the 2019 season were favourable and kernel quality was very good.
"It's still very early days, however it is likely that the 2020 Australian macadamia crop will be impacted by the continuing dry conditions in all growing regions," Mr Burnett said.
"There is a degree of uncertainty about the 2020 crop, including the varied impacts the dry weather may have on different regions."
Minister for Agricultural Industry Development and Fisheries Mark Furner said despite the crippling drought, Queensland's macadamia industry was performing strongly.
"The gross value of production for the 2019-20 season is forecast to be $147 million, about 17 per cent greater than the average for the last five years," Mr Furner said.
"Global demand for our macadamias remains strong, with Japan, Taiwan, Europe and the United States all increasing Australian imports."
A benchmark report on the Australian macadamia industry has been released to provide growers, processors, and other industry stakeholders with a summary of yield, quality and cost of production trends within the industry.
It focuses on the growing areas of central and south east Queensland, northern and mid northern NSW.
The report was a joint initiative of the Department of Agriculture and Fisheries, the University of Southern Queensland and the NSW Department of Primary Industries, with support from the Australian Macadamia Society.
It was funded by Hort Innovation, using the macadamia research and development levy and contributions from the Australian government.
The report provides an insight to growers with confidential information that compares their business to others based on region, farm size and orchard age. It also highlights seasonal and long-term trends in the sector, so that growers can make informed choices about what they can do to improve production to meet growing global demand for macadamias.
Glass House Mountains grower Daniel Jackson participated in the benchmarking project to track the productivity of his orchard and found real value in regional benchmark group meetings.
Since taking over their orchard in 2017, Mr Jackson and his wife Angela have focused on improving soil health.
"Applying mulch has been particularly critical for gradually improving soil health and maintaining soil moisture," Mr Jackson said.
"We have invested in drip irrigation to help manage the climate variability and the high organic matter enables us to make the most of our available water."
"It was very handy to compare ourselves against other growers."
