By Jasper Raats
Emerging macadamia farmers produced 180 tons of nuts for the export market last year – despite the typical problems this sector struggles with in rural areas.
Gene Likhanya, a farmer from Levubu in Limpopo and chair of Samac’s transformation committee, highlighted the sector’s achievements in terms of job creation, rural development and support for emerging farmers at the recent Macadamias SA (Samac) transformation summit in Centurion.
South Africa is currently the world’s largest producer of macadamia nuts, surpassing countries such as Australia, India and China. In 2024 alone, the industry contributed R4.84 billion to the economy. Over the past 10 years, macadamia production has grown by a remarkable 94.31%.
Likhanya stressed that the emerging sector is sharing in this growth, despite the fact that most of these farmers work on community land without property titles. This growth creates sustainable job opportunities in remote areas.
Samac’s transformation programme is based on three strategic pillars:
- enterprise development
- skills development
- socio-economic investments
The organisation has already spent more than R16.8 million on these pillars – of which R6.5 million was spent on social initiatives, R3.9 million on skills training and the bulk on enterprise development. “It is this commitment that enables us to help farmers expand, increase quality and improve yields,” said Likhanya.
Through its enterprise development programme, Samac deploys technical experts to assess farms and provide targeted advice to increase productivity. From input costs and expansion planning to mechanisation and project monitoring – the programme is structured to make emerging farmers commercially viable.
In 2023, the Samac-supported projects produced 100 tons of nuts, which increased to 180 tons in 2024 – an increase of 83%. Farmers have also benefited from direct investments, such as tractors, sprayers, shelling and drying plants, fencing, fertilisation and irrigation systems. For example, one farm in Mpumalanga increased its yield from half a ton to three tons per hectare after Samac helped finance a boundary fence against wildlife damage.
Community development
Samac also contributes to community development through social projects, such as building science laboratories in rural schools, upgrading athletic fields and funding educational infrastructure that benefits both learners and communities. “It is life they give to communities,” said a local principal, at whose school Samac funded a new science laboratory and sports facilities.
Nevertheless, there are still obstacles. Likhanya pointed out that access to water, energy and especially finance are major obstacles for emerging farmers. Without property titles, they struggle to obtain loans for expansion. Furthermore, market instability and international trade tariffs complicate profitability.
However, Samac is actively working with partners to address these obstacles. This includes installing solar solutions, assisting with Global GAP certification to improve market access and building stronger ties between emerging and commercial farmers. “We are not just helping farmers produce nuts – we are helping them produce quality nuts,” said Likhanya.
He called on government, private stakeholders and the broader industry to deepen collaboration. “By working together, we can include more farmers, increase our impact and uplift entire communities. The South African macadamia story,” he concluded, “is one of long-term investment, resilience and transformation, and it is far from finished writing.”
