MACADAMIA NURSERY ASSOCIATION

The macadamia industry has developed tremendously over the past twenty years in South Africa. Although the success of this industry relies on numerous factors, the foundation for the successful production of macadamia nuts relies on excellent nursery trees of the best-adapted cultivars. This rapid expansion of the macadamia industry led to a demand for nursery trees exceeding the supply capabilities of existing nurseries. In turn, this resulted in sub-standard trees being produced by some nurseries. The South African Macadamia Association (SAMAC) has therefore established the Macadamia Nurserymen's Committee (MNC). Members of this committee are required to be registered members of SAMAC, and comply with the requirements set out in the SAMAC Nursery Protocols and Compliance Criteria. A macadamia nursery executive committee was chosen to act as decision makers and, in conjunction with Subtrop technical staff, ensure that a high level of nursery tree quality is maintained. Seventeen nursery protocols and compliance criteria have been written to aid nurserymen in obtaining SAMAC accreditation. SAMAC accreditation is obtained during SAMAC nursery audits which are carried out twice annually. Marks are given for plant quality, water and planting medium quality, as well as other relevant issues pertaining the production of high quality nursery trees. SAMAC encourages prospective nursery tree buyers to obtain their trees from nurseries that are members of the macadamia nurserymen's committee(MNC).