Pest control
Millions in savings possible
for macadamia industry
As bats
control pests
A
Two-season research project proves that natural pest control pays
collaborative research project between Green Farms Nut Company (GFNC), South Africa’s largest privately owned
processor and marketer of macadamia nuts, four of their suppliers, the macadamia industry body, SAMAC, and
the University of Venda is proving the commercial value to the industry of using bats and birds to control insects
that damage the crop.
Established in 1991 and South
Africa’s leading privately owned
macadamia
nut
processing
organisation. GFNC was first
in the country to achieve ISO
22000 accreditation and in 2015
awarded the FSSC food safety
accreditation - their factories rated
of the best in the world.
GFNC has a unique business
model where farmers share in any
market or exchange rate benefits
and growers are not tied to
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SABI | APRIL / MAY 2017
supply agreements. Through their
marketing company, Green & Gold
Nuts, they sell the largest volume
of macadamia nuts globally.
The project has been designed
and is being managed by the
university’s South African Research
Chair’s Initiative (SARChI) Chair
on Biodiversity Value & Change.
Results from the first year of the
project, which covers the 2016
and 2017 macadamia growing
seasons, already provide clear
evidence that crop damage is
increased when bats and birds
are excluded from orchards. The
damage is caused by stinkbugs,
moths, and nut borers.
Professor Peter Taylor, SARChI
chair and supervisor of the
project says that “Stinkbug
damage to macadamia orchards
in South Africa is estimated to
be between R50-100 million
per annum. Economic models
of the “avoided costs” of bat
predation on stinkbugs due to
predation by bats on and around
macadamia nut trees suggest
that the current level of stinkbug
damage would be doubled if bat
populations in orchards were to
become extinct. Any efforts to
retain bat populations, through
use of safe pesticides, retaining
natural
vegetation
corridors
and bat houses, should be
strongly encouraged.”