In the first seven months of the year, Vietnam spent approximately USD 30 million importing macadamia.

According to the Customs Department, total macadamia export turnover in the first seven months reached nearly USD 34 million. Of this, fresh in-shell macadamia nuts accounted for nearly USD 18 million, down 11.2%, while processed products brought in nearly USD 16 million, surging 346%.

The export structure is undergoing a shift: raw in-shell shipments are contracting while processed products are expanding aggressively. This indicates that macadamia processing operations are scaling up, driving a greater requirement for stable raw material supplies.

Notably, Vietnam has established over 46,000 hectares of macadamia, meaning the footprint of its cultivation zones is no longer small. However, planted acreage does not immediately translate into commercial nut volume ready for the market.

Because macadamia is a perennial crop, acreage expansion does not equate to immediate yield gains. According to the Vietnamese Academy of Forest Sciences, grafted macadamia trees can begin bearing fruit from year three, but require additional time to reach high yields and continue increasing production in subsequent years.

In practice, the gap between acreage and output is pronounced. Agricultural sector data shows that while the country has over 46,000 hectares under macadamia cultivation, estimated 2025 output stood at just over 20,000 metric tons of fresh nuts. In 2024, Vietnam still had to import roughly 3,500–4,000 tons of raw macadamia nuts for domestic processing and consumption.

Lam Dong illustrates this disconnect clearly. According to the provincial Department of Agriculture and Environment, the locality has roughly 16,000 hectares of macadamia, but only about 6,600 hectares are in their commercial harvest phase. Output in 2025 reached approximately 13,700 tons, an increase of nearly 50% year-on-year.

Domestic supply, therefore, depends not only on total surface area, but also on tree age, productivity, kernel quality, and procurement consolidation capabilities. For processing plants, these are the decisive factors determining procurement volume and long-term supply stability.

Meanwhile, processing demand is expanding rapidly. A nut processor based in Ho Chi Minh City noted that as processed macadamia product lines multiply, enterprises require supplies that are more consistent in both volume and grade, whereas domestic sources cannot always satisfy these criteria. This supply deficit explains why imports continue to climb even as domestic cultivation acreage broadens.

Beyond the home market, global appetite for macadamia is also expanding, creating additional headroom for the processing industry. According to Dang Phuc Nguyen, Secretary-General of the Vietnam Fruit and Vegetable Association, the global market is projected to require roughly 220,000 tons of macadamia kernels by 2030, equivalent to 850,000 tons of fresh in-shell nuts. Consumers are increasingly drawn to nutrient-dense tree nuts, while macadamia can be diversified into roasted kernels, plant-based milk, and culinary oils.

Given this potential, Nguyen believes Vietnam has the capability to integrate more deeply into the global macadamia value chain if it upgrades the quality of raw material belts, advances processed product development, and complies with standards in high-value destinations such as the US, Japan, South Korea, and the EU.

From an industry standpoint, the Vietnam Macadamia Association targets expanding macadamia cultivation to 130,000–150,000 hectares by 2030, while generating over USD 100 million in export turnover from nut products. The Association also aims to step up technical extension for farmers, particularly in highland, border, and sparsely populated regions, thereby contributing to sustainable livelihoods and poverty reduction.

Source: VnExpress