TREE NUT GROWERS

ASSOCIATION OF MALAWI

Malawi Facts

Official name: Republic of Malawi.

Form of government: multiparty republic with one legislative house

(National Assembly [177]).

Head of state and government: President.

Population (2008): 13,066,320

Population projection: (2010) 13,610,197

Natural increase rate : 2.06% pa

90% employed in Agriculture

Amongst the 10 poorest countries in the World (7th

)

Land use :

Arable land 23.38%,

Permanent Crops 1.49%,

Other 75.13%

• The Country was a British Colony until independence in 1964.Its independence was negotiated relatively peacefully by Dr Hastings Banda and the Malawi Congress Party

• The flag of the Malawi Congress Party was striped black for the African people, red for the blood of martyrs, and green for the vegetation and climate.

• The country's name means "flaming waters," referring to the setting sun on Lake Malawi.

• With independence on July 6, 1964, a new flag was created by adding the sun symbol to the party flag.

HISTORY OF MACADAMIA IN

MALAWI • Bvumbwe Research Station started planting Macs for evaluation in 1941.

• First recorded commercial plantings occurred in the Thyolo area of Malawi in 1950 on what is now Kumadzi Estate owned by Linton Park PLC by Mr. William Mac Farlane Oddy a Scotsman who is buried on the Estate. The origins of these trees is not known but suspected to have been imported from Hawaii.

• Macadamia expansion took place on the Tea Estates in places that were not suited to Tea, Coffee and in some cases Eucalyptus plantations .

• The use of Mother Bushes and approach grafting was the preferred method of propagation but VP and budding has been tried in recent years.

• In the late 1980’s the Commonwealth Development Corporation imported new clonal material to its Sable Farming Estates outside Blantyre and these were made available to other growers in the country over the years .

• Most of the Macadamia grown in Malawi is rain fed with a small irrigated area in Northern Malawi on Kawalazi Estate.

DISTRIBUTION OF GROWING AREAS IN MALAWI

HECTERAGE AND TREE

NUMBERS

Large Scale Commercial Estates

5,224 Hectare

1,069,374 Trees

Average Estate Size = 1045 Hectares (5 Estates)

Small Scale Commercial Farms

56 Hectares

18,751 Trees

Average Farm Size 18.66 Hectares (3 Farms)

Hecterage

0

1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000

7000

8000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Hecterage

DRY NUT IN SHELL @1.5%MC excludes Smallholders as no data available.

• 2010 8020 tonnes

(recovery from drought of 2009)

• 2011 5369 tonnes

• 2012 6035 tonnes (expected)

• 2013 7140 tonnes (projected)

(no projections beyond 2013)

PRODUCTION NIH,DNIS,KERNEL

0

5000

10000

15000

20000

25000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

Nut in Husk Nut in Shell @ 1.5%mc Saleable Kernel(exported)

PLANT SPACINGS

• Original plantings in the 1960’s,1970’and into the 1980’s were at 10 meters by

10 meters or 100 trees per hectare

• In the 1990’s this changed to 10 meters by 5 meters in the row or 200 trees

per ha.

• The current plantings for the Industry works out at an average of 207 trees per

ha so its safe to assume a majority plant spacing of 10 meters by 5 meters.

• In the last 20 years these spacing's have changed to 8 meters by 6 meters and

7 meters by 5 meters but with a lack of cold winters and growth throughout

the year moisture prevailing - the rows are closing up and in some cases

thinning has had to be done in alternate rows before 9 years of age to allow

for Tractor/Sprayer access.

• Most Estates are doing skirting and selective limb removal for light in their

plantations and one large grower has a policy of replanting 3% to 5% of their

1415 ha some 45 to 75 hectares annually as a way to ensure continuing

sustainability and the move to newer clonal material that is available. Most

Estates are replanting small areas or doing new plantings annually.

Currently the following clones are available and being planted out in Malawi in varying numbers depending on their assessment on quality and suitability for the Malawi growing environment

246,333,344,508,660,781,792,812,863, 887,Daddow,705,741,772,783,788,800, 816,842,849,791,A4,A16,A268,A199, 814,845,828,X18,835,836,837,789,790, 834,783,804,695,HCH,Own Venture, NGR 43,

CLONES PLANTED

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013

MALAWI MACADAMIA - TREE NUMBERS

Total Trees Trees > 6 Years Trees > 6 Years Trees 1 Year Old

NEW EXPANSION AREA

in Mulanje,Mchinji & Ntaja Area • A SMALL HOLDER INITIATIVE TO REDUCE POVERTY,PROVIDE FUEL

WOOD,REDUCE CUTTING OF INDIGENOUS FOREST, AND POSSIBLY CARBON SEQUESTRATION BENEFITS.THE NGO – EQUAL EXCHANGE AND THE MULANJE MOUNTAIN TRUST ARE THE FACILITATORS WITH

HELP FROM COMMERCIAL GROWERS.

• IN THE MCHINJI AREA TO THE WEST OF LILONGWE ALONG THE

ZAMBIAN BORDER THERE IS A PLANNED 2,000 HA EXPANSION IN PROGRESS ON COMMERCIAL TOBACCO FARMS AND AT NTAJA TO THE EAST OF LAKE MALAWI ANOTHER 500 TO 700 HECTARES ON COMMERCIAL TOBACCO FARMS IS ALSO TAKING PALCE.

• THERE ARE OTHER TOBACCO FARMERS LOOKING AT CONVERTING TOBACCO TO MACADAMIA IN THE NEAR FUTURE.

Mt Mulanje

Mt Mulanje expansion area

POTENTIAL THREATS TO MACADAMIA

VIABILITY

1. Forex Shortages as a result of low exports volumes of Agricultural Commodities - Malawi's mainstay for the U$ generation

2.Road lengths to Ports ,Transport and Container availability. The lack of imports due to forex is making Container availably an issue

3.Reduction in SK% due to lack of P & D Control and Capex

on Spraying Machinery. Post Harvest Damage

4.Pest incidence – no winter kill.

5.Theft.Chinese Traders now becoming a major problem.

6.Fire Hazard in Winters

Insufficient forex from agriculture & we are net

importers reliant on foreign aid most years to

balance the Government budget deficits

Long routes to ports through Mozambique

,Zimbabwe and South Africa

Containers for exports in short supply due to lack

of imports

Comparison : Mean Potential vs. TNGA ave mean vs. best vs worst

32.4 31.9

33.8

31.9 31.7 32.1

26.4

31.5

33.96

27.3 27.2

29.6

26.7

25.3 26.3

22.6

24.2 24.6

38.96 38.96 38.96 38.96 38.96 38.96 38.96 38.96 38.96

24.2 24.2

26.7

24.0

15.1

22.9

19.0 18.7

16.08

10.0

11.0

12.0

13.0

14.0

15.0

16.0

17.0

18.0

19.0

20.0

21.0

22.0

23.0

24.0

25.0

26.0

27.0

28.0

29.0

30.0

31.0

32.0

33.0

34.0

35.0

36.0

37.0

38.0

39.0

40.0

41.0

42.0

43.0

44.0

45.0

SK % Target,Mean,Highest,Lowest

• Effect of Insect damage on yields

Knockdown Results 10 trees in 10ha block

Theft of NIS and the informal cracking ,roasting

and sale on the road side a growing problem.

Estates have grown thorn hedges around fields

to reduce access and control theft.

Seasonal hunting for mice (a local delicacy) by the villagers

surrounding the Estates by smoking them from their burrows

results in Plantation fires sweeping through the grass cover that

is dry from lack of winter rains and damaging trees.

THE OTHER PART OF MAC FARMING IN

MALAWI

• Corporate Social Responsibility

• Health

• Nutrition

• Education

• Housing

• Re Aforestation

• Community Assistance

Provision of basic health care on Estates for all

employees and their dependants and children

under 5 clinics and vaccinations.

Employees are educated by Health Surveillance

assistant on the benefits of locally available

indigenous plants as a valuable food source

Patients that require specialised medical treatment not

available at the Estate Clinic are referred to local

District Hospitals and transported there by the Estates

dedicated ambulance service.

Estates provide basic mid day meals for

all employees every day.

Traditional Housing in the Rural Area’s of Malawi

An example of housing to be found on some Estates

Estates set aside indigenous bush areas and maintain

them as plants and tree bark are collected by local

traditional healers for their medicines.

THE FUTURE FOR MACADAMIA IN MALAWI

As is the case with farming all over the world each community

has its own and common problems which makes it such a

challenging and rewarding way of life and the same is true of

farming here in Malawi and whilst our Macs are relatively young

we have blocks of Tea that are in excess of 100 years of age

We are a viable industry and are planning to be here for the

duration.

On behalf of the TNGA and all Macadamia Growers in Malawi

may we wish you success in your deliberations and our sincere

apologies for not being represented at the symposium – Thank

you - ZIGOMO from the warm heart of Africa.