Maputo — The Mozambican company Macs-In-Moz has exported its first crop of macadamia nuts to South Africa and China.

Macs-In-Moz is based in Sussundenga district in the central province of Manica. It currently has two hundred hectares of macadamia trees.

According to the chief executive of Macs-In-Moz, Howard Blight, the first crop of nuts amounted to ten tonnes. The company exported six tonnes of nuts to South Africa and China, at an average price of 4 US dollars per kilogramme.

The exports are in shell as Mozambique lacks any cracking facilities locally. However, there are plans for a facility for the 2015 crop.

Macs-In-Moz used the other four tonnes of nuts in its rapidly expanding nursery. In its first season, the nursery produced 110,000 young trees for planting. This year, the nursery's output could approach 300,000.

According to Blight, “the area is in a boom phase with many South African farmers securing leases to plant macadamia and avocado”.

Blight speculates that within fifteen years Mozambique could become a major macadamia nut producer, based on favourable climatic conditions and rapidly improving infrastructure.

Macs-In-Moz is promoting a development model of 100-hectare orchards.

These commercial hubs will provide management expertise to smaller community owned farms.

According to agronomist Philip Lee, “the establishment of a macadamia nut industry in Mozambique offers the country an ideal opportunity to participate in a high value export product with the potential to provide thousands of jobs that will include the development of the small-holder sector”.

Mozambique currently has about a thousand hectares of macadamia orchards.