- Akho Seku's farm has 21 hectares with 312 trees each, requiring R50,000+ for soil preparation and four years before production starts.
- He pays R2,500 for pest control chemicals and R800 per hour for excavation equipment, selling nuts in tonnes from R40,000 upwards.
A macadamia nut farmer in Port St John's, Eastern Cape, is explaining to consumers why the nuts cost so much.
Akho Seku, a nut grower, said planting macadamias takes a lot of time and money.
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"I don't blame people who complain about the expensive price for macadamia nuts because they don't know the steps when planting them. They forget that prices for most things keep increasing, and it is not only macadamia nuts," said Seku.
The farm was established in 2012, and they started producing in 2019.
"There's a lot of work we have done, like going around looking for a place that will be suitable for planting nuts. All of that needed money," said Seku.
Sometimes they find bushes and have to work with that soil to get it ready to plant macadamia nuts.
"Soil preparation is the one that is costing us money because we pay more than R50,000. If you find a bush, you have to start by cutting trees and leveling the soil. You cannot do that without spending money," said Seku.
Planting macadamia nuts is not like planting maize.
"It takes up to four years to get them ready after planting them. That means we don't get the money we use immediately. It takes time. We are selling nuts in tonnes, charging from R40,000 upwards," said Seku.
Other work includes pruning, fertilizing, and pest and disease management.
"As growers, we also do hulling, washing, and drying them before selling them. That also needs money because we have to hire people to assist. I don't see the price decreasing," said Seku.
Hiring an excavator costs them R800 per hour. For water, they were assisted by the government with a machine.
"We have to protect the nuts from pests, and the Actara we use is not cheap. We are paying R2,500 for a 5-liter container. The prices are not only increasing for customers but also for us," said Seku.
He believes people will continue using them in different ways.
The farm has 21 hectares, each taking 312 trees.
At retail, consumers pay between R200 and R250 per kilogram for macadamia nuts - a price that reflects the years of investment and ongoing costs farmers like Seku face.
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Mandilakhe Ginya, a consumer, didn't know how much time macadamia nuts take before they are ready.
"I think for customers to stop complaining, these farmers need to dedicate some time to educate us about the processes they take before their products get ready. But we will continue supporting them," said Ginya.
