AUSTRALIAN macadamia growers have recovered from the record rains and flooding in NSW and south east Queensland earlier this year to produce a higher than anticipated crop of 52,974 tonnes in-shell at 3.5 per cent moisture (56,800 tonnes in-shell at 10pc moisture).
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Growers in the hardest hit growing region - the NSW Northern Rivers - experienced lower losses and higher yields than expected, while new plantings in the largest growing region of Bundaberg contributed to increased crop in that area.
The increased tonnage comes as some relief, following a significant decline for the commodity following better than expected harvest results in South Africa.
Australian Macadamia Society chief executive officer Clare Hamilton-Bate said the intense weather systems along Australia's east coast from late February to early April significantly delayed harvest in the affected regions, with many growers unable to access their orchards.
"The delayed harvest also made forecasting extremely difficult," Ms Hamilton-Bate said.
"The industry revised its original forecast down to 49,340 tonnes in-shell at 3.5pc moisture (52,900 tonnes in-shell at 10pc moisture) in April following the flooding."
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Ms Hamilton-Bate said the late harvest meant that there were more deliveries in the tail-end of the season in the Northern Rivers than previous seasons.
"Growers in this region are now focused on orchard remediation and erosion control to improve recovery from the severe weather conditions," she said.
"Bundaberg however, which accounts for around 46pc of Australia's crop, was not impacted by the severe weather, and performed strongly in terms of production."
The 2022 crop is 3pc higher than the 2021 crop of 51,500 tonnes in-shell at 3.5pc moisture (55,200 tonnes in-shell at 10pc moisture).
Preparation for the 2023 season is now well underway, with the harvest due to commence in February.
The 2022 crop is based on actual factory receipts of the Australian Macadamia Handlers Association (AMHA) until the end of October.
The AMHA represents 95pc of the macadamia crop in Australia.
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