Given that most of South Africa is suffering from a drought, these are trying times for many farmers.

That being said, there are a few crops that are flourishing on the international stage, with our local producers raking in the cash thanks to the foreign demand.

We’ve spoken about that “White Gold” before, otherwise known as the burgeoning export in fynbos, and it’s also happy days for Western Cape farmers who are growing cherries.

This time around it’s the Chinese who are after our nuts, and in particular the macadamia variety.

Their appetite has grown rapidly over the past few years, and they’re currently our country’s largest importer. They’re not the only country driving the demand, and South Africa is swiftly becoming the world’s leading producer of macadamia nuts.

Get a load of this – there are almost 4 000 hectares of new trees added every year. This below from Bizcommunity:

Valley Macadamias Group chairman, Alan Sutton recently visited China to gain more insight. As a leading global exporter, the Valley Macadamia Group has built long-standing relationships with a vast network of buyers in China. Over the years, Sutton has developed a deep understanding of the market, international quality expectations and demand.

“The demand and consumption of macadamia nuts in China are growing fast and opportunities for the South African macadamia industry are incredible,” says Sutton. “However, as the market grows, the dynamics change and Valley Macadamia feeds that information to South African farmers to help them meet global demands.”

…Culturally, China is a nut-eating nation. Sutton says the demand for dry-nut-in-shell from South Africa is strong due to the perceived higher quality. Chinese buyers are looking for a homogeneous, premium quality product from harvest to end product.

Yeah, South Africa’s dry-nut-in-a-shell game is strong, yo.

Now is the time:

South Africa’s macadamia industry is poised for growth of between 8% and 10% this year. With demand in China set to increase, the boom in South Africa can only continue.