THREE major macadamia companies are helping to protect the industry’s botanical heritage.
Pacific Gold Macadamias in Bundaberg, Qld, together with its partner companies Macadamia Processing Company Ltd in Alphadale, NSW and Macadamia Marketing International, have united to help fund the conservation of macadamias in the wild.
They are the first industry members in 2015 to support the Macadamia Conservation Trust’s work to protect and restore wild macadamias in their natural environment.
Macadamias are the only native Australian crop considered an international commercial food product.
The industry is based on a small number of trees, selected for their favourable characteristics, such as bountiful crops and thin shells.
While most horticultural food products have undergone tens, if not hundreds of generations of breeding to produce modern crops, macadamias are still relatively new and little more than three generations separated from wild trees.
Australian Macadamia Society CEO Jolyon Burnett thanked MPC/Pacific Gold/MMI for their support, which will help to support activities like conservation, rehabilitation and research
“Being the one country where macadamias are found naturally means we are better placed to tap into their genetic diversity, which gives our macadamia nuts the best chance of adapting to changes in weather patterns, emerging pests, possible diseases and other improvements,” Mr Burnett said.
“When we look at crops such as apples, in the wild they produce around 2 tonnes per hectare, but commercial varieties now produce up to 100 tonnes per hectare.”
“This is the sort of improvement that wild macadamias and the conservation hold the key to.”
“Whilst over 80pc of wild macadamia trees have been lost since European settlement, a lot is now being done to secure their future.”
Macadamia Processing Company general manager Steven Lee said that it is vital that the macadamia industry has future access to untapped genetic diversity by finding ways to conserve wild macadamias.
“The Macadamia Conservation Trust is undertaking important work for the benefit of the entire industry and we encourage others to support them,” Mr Lee said.