Hawaii Macadamia Nuts

Here is the PDF file for the Hawaii Macadamia Nuts (Final Season Estimates) Report.

Wailuku Macadamia Nut field after switch from Sugar May 1979-Click for larger image
Wailuku Maui Macadamia Nut field after switch from Sugar Cane May 1979-Click for larger image
Hawaii Macadamia Nut Report

Please visit the website for more information: http://www.nass.usda.gov/hi/

————————————————————-
Contact Information:
Mark E. Hudson, Director
USDA NASS Hawaii Field Office
1421 South King Street
Honolulu, HI 96814-2512

Office: (808) 973-9588 / (800) 804-9514
Fax: (808) 973-2909
————————————————————-

“HAWAII MACADAMIA NUTS” reports are available on our website and also PRINTED twice a year. Subscriptions for PRINTED copies are free to those persons who report agricultural data to NASS (upon request) and available for $2 per year to all others.

Utilized production from Hawaii’s 2008-09 macadamia nut harvest is estimated at 50.0 million pounds (net, wet-in-shell basis) according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, Hawaii Field Office. The estimate for 2008-09 represents a 9.0 million pound or 22 percent increase from last season.

Season Overview
Timely showers and an increased demand for inshell nuts contributed to this season’s higher output. Processors noted some improvement in the quality of nuts delivered this season. On the other hand, growers did report the prolonged dry conditions, pests, pigs, and volcanic haze adversely affected orchards and harvesting. Others mentioned it was economically unfeasible to pick their crop and may switch to other commodities or temporarily stop farming.

Harvested Acreage Unchanged, Yields Up
For the 2008-09 season, growers harvested an estimated 15,000 acres and remained unchanged for the past three seasons. Statewide, there were 17,000 acres in crop and an estimated 1.2 million macadamia nut trees.

Yields averaged 3,330 pounds per acre (net, wet-inshell basis) for the 2008-09 season, or 600 pounds more per acre than the previous season. Average moisture content for this season’s entire crop was 20.5 percent compared with 21.3 percent for the 2007-08 crop.

Farm Value Increases
The farm price for macadamia nuts averaged 67.0 cents per pound (net, wet-in-shell basis) for 2008-09 season, up 7.0 cents from the 2007-08 average. Farm value is estimated at $33.5 million (net, wet-in-shell basis) for this crop season, a 36 percent increase from last season due to a larger harvest and higher farm price.