A number of isolated but serious storms have dealt a blow to the 2018 macadamia crop, slashing the forecast harvest by thousands of tonnes. While the expected crop of 47,600 tonnes in-shell is slightly up on last year, it is still a substantial drop on the record 52,000 tonne crop of 2016. This time last year the industry's peak body, the Australian Macadamia Society, had predicted another record crop of 54,000 tonnes which was up four per cent for 2017. But in March Cyclone Debbie wreaked havoc on orchards in Queensland and NSW. This was followed by record rainfall in June in the Northern Rivers region of New South Wales, resulting in the forecast being revised down by the year's end to 46,000 tonnes. Several severe weather events followed in November and December and they are being blamed for a substantial loss in crop for the 2018 forecast.

Crop had been looking promising

AMS chief executive officer Jolyon Burnett estimated those storms resulted in a loss of up to 4,000 tonnes of macadamias. "We think about 1,000 tonnes up in Bundaberg from the really wild storm that we had there, and maybe as much as 2,000 maybe 3,000 tonnes in the Northern Rivers from the two hailstorms that each cut a swathe through some of our most productive farms," Mr Burnett said. He said 2018's forecast was disappointing as the crop had been looking so promising. "On the other hand I do think it's a bit of a testament to our growers that they have been able to rebound from the damage caused by Cyclone Debbie and the floods — particularly in NSW — and the really dry weather in drought-declared Bundy last year."

Counting the cost of hail damage

Austin Curtin estimates losses of up to $100,000 as a result of the November hailstorm that struck his family's farms at Tregeagle, near Lismore. For the family business that will mean the forecast will be slightly lower than 2017. "We had a really good year and through some efficiencies we were up 30 per cent to 80 tonnes at our farm. We might be back around the 65 to 70 tonnes mark," he said. "We got hit on November 5 by this snooker-sized hail and both our orchards, which are two kilometres apart from each other. One of them harder than the other. "It's hard to tell until it comes into the silo but I was looking at it thinking that maybe if we are eight to 15 tonnes down at current prices you're looking upwards at that $50,000, $60,000 or $70,000 mark just in terms of getting nut into the silo."

Grower optimistic about harvest

Many growers in the Northern Rivers managed to dodge the worst of the hailstorms. Andrew Starkey, who manages four farms across 40 hectares south of Bangalow, said he came close to losing a large amount of crop. "We were trapped in the shed at one stage with hail coming down and thinking well it's a tragedy but I suppose under a tin roof things sound a lot worse than what they are," he said. "The crop spread over the few farms wasn't significantly impacted but unfortunately we've got some neighbours who I think are facing a very devastating year. "The storms have been so localised in their intensity and their impact so I think that's leading to a very patchy performance across the area." Mr Starkey is still feeling optimistic about the harvest and predicts an average to above average crop this year.