Agri Kultuur August / Augustus 2018 | Page 44

Largest consumers of macadamia kernel are Australia and North America, which together make roughly 50%. Followed by Europe, notably the Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Switzerland and Spain. In Asia, and especially China, the nut is eaten in the shell, and this market consumes the vast majority of in-shell product. “We are gearing our business to continue to support this market and have a strong base of loyal customers. Our longevity in the industry affords deep market knowledge. Our network of processors, in a number of major growing AgriKultuur |AgriCulture regions, enables agility and supply security to respond to market demands,” concluded Loader. The global crop is set to double over the next four years from 211 000 mt tonnes in-shell in 2018 to 400 000 in 2022. South Africa is the world leader in macadamia production with 54 000 mt tonnes in-shell produced this year. Followed by Australia at 44 500 and Kenya at 32 500. Source: International Nut & Dried Fruit Council Statistical Yearbook 2017 / 2018 44