The Central Highlands province of Dak Nong will invest more than 1.13 trillion VND (52.7 million USD) in an ambitious plan to plant macadamia trees across more than 12,000 hectares in five communes of border district Tuy Duc by 2020.

Around 85 billion VND will be sourced from the State budget and the remaining bulk is to come from loans and businesses’ investment.

The locality will devise incentives encouraging the participation of enterprises and communities in the project including interest subsidy for loans taken for the purpose. In addition, each ha of newly-planted macadamia will receive a grant of 15 million VND in line with the Government support policy.

The provincial administration will invest in two nurseries to produce high-quality macadamia seedlings that meet international standards and a processing plant with a design annual capacity of nearly 20,000 tonnes of macadamia products.

Tuy Duc district, one of four border districts in Dak Nong, has ideal conditions for the growth of the tree, revenue from which will contribute to poverty reduction and raising the local living condition while protecting forestry and ensuring social and political order and security.

The macadamia nut is dubbed “the Queen of Nuts” for its extraordinary nutritional value.

Experts said compared to other common edible seeds, such as almonds and cashews, macadamias are low in protein and have the highest mono-unsaturated fat content.

The plant, indigenous to Australia , was introduced to Vietnam in 2002 after local scientists took soil samples and discovered that the northwest and Central Highland regions had ideal growing conditions for the plant.

Notably, Vietnam’s macadamia trees have since produced equivalent or higher yields than Australian trees, the world’s number one macadamia cultivator.-VNA