Farmers profit from growing macadamia trees intercropped with coffee

According to Mr. Tuong Van Khanh - Deputy Head of the Department of Agriculture and Environment of Dak To district, currently, the total area of ​​macadamia in the district is more than 1,200 hectares; of which, over 50% of the area is intercropped with coffee. Coffee trees have been cultivated by people for a long time, while macadamia trees have only been planted since 2014. For many years, these two crops have provided stable income.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cuong's family (54 years old, in village 5, Tan Canh commune) planted 200 macadamia trees in 3 hectares of coffee since 2015. By 2021, they harvested 900 kg of fresh fruit, which he sold for more than 40 million VND. From 2022 to now, the yield of his macadamia garden has gradually increased, each tree yielding 15-25 kg of fresh fruit. In the 2024 crop, he harvested 3 tons of fresh fruit. To improve the value and quality of macadamia nuts, in 2024, his family invested 50 million VND to buy a shelling machine and a mini dryer, processing them into finished products that are not sold fresh. Finished macadamia products are sold at a much higher price, from 180,000 - 200,000 VND/kg. Currently, his family earns more than 100 million VND per year from macadamia trees, after deducting investment costs.

Mr. Nguyen Dinh Cuong (left) earns hundreds of millions of dong from his macadamia garden intercropped with coffee. (Photo: Mai Vang)

“Macadamia trees are suitable for the natural conditions here, requiring less care and fertilizer than other crops. In particular, intercropping also takes advantage of the vacant land of the garden, irrigation water, and fertilizer from coffee trees. Starting from the 6th year, there will be a stable income, contributing to increasing income per unit area. Intercropping macadamia trees with coffee brings economic efficiency, while the investment cost is lower. From 2023, the family will intercrop 100 more macadamia trees in the coffee garden with the hope of having a higher income in the future,” Mr. Cuong shared.

In Tan Canh commune, coffee is the main crop, while macadamia is mainly intercropped to both block the wind and increase income for the people. However, from 2022 to now, with the district's support for seedlings, people in the commune have increasingly grown macadamia. Therefore, the area of ​​macadamia cultivation is increasing and gradually becoming one of the main crops of the commune. To date, the whole commune has developed more than 121 hectares of macadamia, of which over 60% of the area is intercropped with coffee.

Mr. Mai Huy Hung - Chairman of Tan Canh Commune People's Committee said: Through monitoring, it shows that macadamia trees are suitable for local climate and soil conditions, with few pests and diseases. In addition, people are trained in knowledge and production skills and are willing to invest in caring for macadamia trees, so the yield reaches 15-25kg of fresh fruit/tree/year. The model of growing coffee intercropped with macadamia helps households earn an additional income of 30 - 40 million VND/ha/year.

When intercropped, macadamia and coffee trees will complement each other, helping farmers reduce risks. (Photo: Mai Vang)

In 2014, Mr. Hoang Van Ngoan's family (58 years old, in Dak Nu village, Ngok Tu commune) planted nearly 200 macadamia trees on an area of ​​more than 1 hectare of coffee to both provide shade and wind protection and bring economic efficiency. Initially, due to lack of experience, nearly 20% of the trees died, leaving only about 160 trees. After nearly 5 years of planting and caring, the macadamia trees began to bear fruit and are now producing a stable harvest with an average yield of about 3-3.2 quintals of dried fruit per year. He processes, bags and sells the macadamia fruits himself at a price of 180,000 VND/kg or more, bringing in an income of more than 70 million VND/year.

According to Mr. Ngoan, intercropping macadamia in coffee gardens not only brings economic efficiency, but also limits the impact of strong winds, storms, increases humidity, and reduces temperature for coffee trees. Thereby, helping coffee trees grow better. In addition, macadamia is an easy-to-grow tree, requiring almost no care. The tree is pest-free, and when taking care of coffee, it is convenient to take care of macadamia as well. The harvest season is different from coffee, so it does not require much labor. In particular, unlike other fruit trees, growing macadamia does not require worrying about consumption. Just harvest macadamia, process, and package, and customers will order everything.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/dak-to-kon-tum-nong-dan-thu-loi-tu-trong-mac-ca-xen-ca-phe-249229.html