Australian macadamia nuts thrive in Lincang, SW China's Yunnan

Workers pack Lincang macadamia nuts in Lincang city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Lincang Municipal Committee)

Recently, "Lincang nuts" from Lincang city, southwest China's Yunnan Province were added to the country's geographical indication product protection list by the China National Intellectual Property Administration.

This marks the transformation of Australian macadamia nuts from a foreign delicacy into a local specialty, elevating them to the status of a premium agricultural product from China.

In Yunxian county, Lincang city, farmer Wu Tianjie is already calculating this year's harvest prospects.

"Last year, I earned 300,000 yuan ($41,868) from 300 mu (20 hectares) of macadamia nuts. This year, with science-based management practices, the trees are growing better, and I expect even higher yields," Wu said from his orchard in Banghong village, Xingfu town.

Across Yunnan Province, nearly 1 million farming households like Wu's have increased their income through macadamia cultivation, with Lincang accounting for more than half of the province's total.

Photo shows macadamia nuts on tree branches in Lincang city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Lincang Municipal Committee)

Located between the Lancang River and the Nujiang River in southwestern Yunnan, Lincang offers ideal conditions for growing Australian macadamia nuts, thanks to a climate that closely resembles that of Australia, said Su Zhenhua, deputy director of Lincang's forestry and grassland bureau.

Trial cultivation of Australian macadamia nuts began in Yongde county of Lincang in 1991. Today, the total area planted with macadamia trees in the city has reached 2.63 million mu, accounting for 53.2 percent of China's total and 36.8 percent of the global total, making it the largest macadamia growing base in the world.

In the early days, many farmers, including Wang Zhengcheng, head of Yunxian Zhengcheng Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., faced challenges such as poor fruit set, low yields, mixed varieties, and inconsistent quality.

To tackle these issues, Lincang issued several plans and established agricultural research institutions. Expert teams from Huazhong Agricultural University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province and the Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences were invited to offer technical support, resulting in breakthroughs in variety selection and pest control.

The city also developed a three-tier scientific service system and set up 467 demonstration sites at the municipal, county, township, and village levels to bring agricultural technologies directly to farmers.

With expert guidance, Wang's company successfully developed drought- and cold-resistant varieties, which received Yunnan provincial certification in March 2024.

"The per-mu yield of the new varieties is 30 percent higher than conventional ones," Wang said proudly.

An expert from the Institute of Tropical and Subtropical Cash Crops at the Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences provides on-site training at a macadamia nut planting base in Gengma Dai and Wa Autonomous County, Lincang city, southwest China's Yunnan Province. (Photo courtesy of the Publicity Department of the Communist Party of China Lincang Municipal Committee)

In 2024, the average per-mu yield at all demonstration sites in Lincang exceeded 200 kilograms. A record-high yield of 322.67 kilograms per mu was achieved, representing a 115.11 percent increase from the previous year.

Lincang has developed a range of deep-processed nut products to increase added value and has guided enterprises in building high-quality, distinctive macadamia brands to enhance market influence and competitiveness.

Lincang's macadamia nuts now satisfy domestic demand and are exported to more than 10 countries and regions, including Kazakhstan and Türkiye, with support from customs and regulatory authorities.

In 2024, Lincang produced 308,000 tonnes of fresh macadamia nuts and 120,400 tonnes of dried nuts. The entire industrial chain generated 10.16 billion yuan in output value—a 71.04 percent increase from 2023—helping 744,500 farming households across eight counties and districts raise their average annual income by 1,086 yuan per person.