Eswatini exports wonder nut to US markets

It’s the nut the world is going ‘nuts over’!!!!!!

Rated as the creamier cousin to the cashew and the sassier sister to the almond, it is talk of the town in superfoods and the topic of the day in nutrition the world over.

The macadamia nut which is the big kahuna in the nut family possibly remains the kingdom of Eswatini’s best kept secret.

The kingdom which exports the wonder nut to US markets is literally ‘sitting on gold’ as it’s regarded as one of the most expensive nuts in the world and also pitted as the most luxurious.

From improving brain function and cardiovascular health, to aiding weight loss and fighting inflammation, macadamia nuts are nutritional powerhouses. 

In an age of the COVID 19 pandemic which has thrust the global community into a constant battle with various diseases, the macadamia nut could be what the doctor ordered as a great source of vitamin B packed with antioxidants as well as healthy fats that lower cholesterol, making this a super food we can happily welcome into our daily diets.  

Apart from being packed with nutrients, the nut presents a world of opportunity for both farmers and foodies in their culinary adventures alike. 

The kingdom of Eswatini happens to be a proud exporter of this revered nut which is also a cholesterol-free kick of omega-7 and a hassle-free hit of fiber.

The macadamia nut is grown under the Tree of Life Project in the orchards located at the African Christian College (formerly known as the Manzini Bible School).

The college is located near the airport in the rural area of Tubungu, near Matsapha, 15km from the city of Manzini. 

About 20 hectares are reserved for the academic campus and housing, 50 hectares are devoted to a macadamia nut orchard and the remainder for general agricultural use, providing operating funds for food for the students. 

Speaking to us in an interview about the project on how it began and has evolved over the years, Sydney Mhango whose the Tree of Life’s Farm and Campus Operations Director graduated from Manzini Bible School in 2001 and returned to his home in Lusaka, Zambia. 

However, he had acquired a certificate in accounting before he came to Eswatini.

Remembering his skills and dependability as a student, he requested to return to Swaziland as a member of the campus staff in mid-2003.

As Operations Manager for the campus, orchards and maize seed production. He holds a BTh from South African Theological Seminary, attended various seminars for growing macadamia nuts in South Africa, and workshops in Zimbabwe for maize seed production. 

It’s a very important project he oversees because 100% of Tree of Life profits fund college scholarships and provides jobs to unemployed workers and students working to pay for college. 

“As donor fund is a challenge, it was decided that the school needed to be self-sustaining to be able to survive the future ups and downs of financial factors. Hence the idea of planting Macadamia Nuts was born. In fact, it was at a brink of being closed. But now, our oldest trees are 22 years old,” he says.

Explaining the various processes involved in macadamia nut production, Mhango reveals that when the nuts have been collected from the fields in 25kg bags, the nuts are weight and put in the hopper that takes them to a dehusking machine to remove the husks. 

According to Mhango, from there they pass through a tumbler that sizes them and smaller nuts are separated from the bigger nuts, then sort them out later. 

“Once all the dehusked nuts have filled a crate then again weighed to see the weight after removing the husks and then sent to the dryers to reduce the moisture content to at least below 10%.When the nuts are ready to be put in bulk bags, they go through a process of checking them again before they enter the bags. This process involves removing any nuts that are not looking good, maybe cracked, or damaged by nut borer etc. Once we have 30 ton bags full then we organize a truck to take them to Nelspruit where they are cracked to the Kernel level,” he further says.

He says becoming a macadamia farmer / grower simply requires money.

“Honestly, one has to be prepared to invest a lot of money in the irrigation set up, land preparations, what types of Cultivar of macadamia nuts to plant. One needs to wait for at least four years before the trees can start producing but even if they start earlier than that to produce they will still be very small to make any dent on your investment. It is only after 10 years that one would start yielding better to maybe breakeven or make a profit. One must invest in a dehusking machine and drying facility that will cure the nuts to the right moisture for it to be stored nicely. You can start small while waiting for bigger yields but when the bigger yields start arriving, you better be ready to treat those many nuts well,” he goes on to say.

He acknowledges that the duration from growing the nuts to getting them ready for retail is rather long.

It’s a long wait of up to seven years before the trees can produce the first fruit.

“However, because of grafted trees nowadays, these years of waiting have been reduced. I have heard some farmers who had their two year trees flowering. Of course, the tree will be too small and it might be even better if one removes those flowers so that the tree can develop more root system before allowing it to produce fruit. These nuts can be quite heavy and they can break limbs and you don’t want that happening to a smaller tree. After five years then it would be ok to let them keep the flowers. That would be my recommendation,” he says.

He notes that tonnes vary season after season from 30, 60 to even 100 tonnes in a good year.

He admits that the emergence of the COVID 19 pandemic has particularly affected the business.

“It was especially hard in the year 2020. We had to let go all the casual labor and some other workers to try and keep safe by minimizing people who go in and out of our farm. God has been good as always. We remain safe even after calling back our entire work force,” he further says. 

The project has 14 employees and this year, 50 casuals were hired and some are expected to work until September. 

“We are supposed to have finished harvesting by the end of June but sometimes the harvest can prolong to July. We have other works of pruning that follows the harvest and we need manpower to do that as fast as we can because the trees will be flowering then by June to September,” he says.

The main export market is US and since last year, started exporting to South Africa. 

There are many challenges that comes with the actual farming too but the ones that need to be monitored frequently, according to Mhango, are the bad insects. 

Two main trouble makers for the macadamia nuts are Stinkbug and Nut borer. 

“One needs to scout for these once there is the presence of fruit in the trees. They will damage the nuts if they are not controlled. Scouting for stinkbug, Delta traps for the moth (nutborer) monitoring, Chemical control and pruning will help in the control of these insects,” he advises.

He, however, points out that even before the emergence of the pandemic, challenges have always existed as is with every other business.

He remembers as if it were yesterday when a fire broke out from the King’s fields just east of the college, destroying five hectares of crops.

“It was during 9/11. Exactly at the time of 9/11, when our first orchard was destroyed,” he states.

According to Mhango, their achievements include ensuring that all trees of the 50ha farm are producing. 

“We have a full-fledged factory of dehusking nuts (Removing of the first cover called a husk before the shell) and drying the nuts to less than 10% moisture in shell and we have a market in the US that buys all our nuts. For us, that is an achievement,” he further says.

Mhango is optimistic about the future and reveals that the long-term plans involve finding another place where more macadamia nut trees can be grown because there isn’t any more expansion ground on the property.

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