Latest technology improves macadamia quality output

Macadamia farmer Dian Pretorius from Brondal, Limpopo watched as his unsound kernel recovery (USKR) percentage rose year after year. Averaging under 3% in the late 2000s, it steadily climbed to reach 5% and then over 6% in 2018, causing his profits to dwindle. Then, in a single year, Pretorius dramatically reversed the decline, so much so that he received a quality award at his local processor, Green Farms Nut Company, for the 2019 season.

In the macadamia industry, the 5% USKR mark is regarded as critical; once farmers exceed it, they very seldom recover. Instead, it tends to rise steadily thereafter.

Barry Christie, group agricultural technical manager at Green Farms Nut Company, notes studies where farmers’ USKR was measured over five seasons.

“In general, growers who ended under 5% USKR in 2018 came from a slightly higher USKR,