May 2026 — Macau, Hong Kong
SAMAC attended the International Dried Fruit and Nuts congress to represent the South African macadamia industry, engage with global stakeholders and monitor developments impacting future market access and demand. The congress provided a clear message to the global nut industry that the future will belong to industries that can consistently deliver quality, credibility and consumer relevance.
Event: 2026 International Dried Fruit and Nuts Conference
Date: 12-14 May 2026
Location: Macau, Hong Kong
Attendance: +1 300 global industry experts, importers, exporters, leaders and associations
Key takeaways included:
Several themes dominated discussions throughout the event and are expected to shape the future direction of the macadamia industry globally:
The INC’s Strategic Direction
The INC outlined an ambitious long-term growth strategy targeting approximately 800 million Gen Z consumers, with South-East Asia as the primary growth market. Roasted and salted remains the dominant way consumers eat nuts, while chocolate and nougat are the key ingredient channels.
The most significant long-term development from the congress is the progress on a formal health claim linking nut consumption to the prevention of Type 2 diabetes. A clinical trial running across Canada, Spain, the USA and India have been approved and is targeting a 25% reduction in diabetes risk.
Sustainability and compliance also featured prominent and is no longer optional. The EU is implementing a new chemical-use framework by 2035 and the rate at which chemicals are being banned is currently outpacing the registration of new alternatives. For macadamia exporters, EU market access will increasingly depend on:
- MRL compliance,
- producer competency certification, and
- end-to-end traceability systems.
The congress strongly emphasised the positioning of nuts as premium culinary ingredients rather than merely snack products. This message was ampliflied by gastronomy influencer Jack Lin, renowned for his Bayju culinary brand, G20 appearances, and his audience of more than 20 million followers. For macadamias, this theme is particularly relevant, given the nut’s buttery flavour profile and versatility across:
- ice cream,
- chocolate,
- bakery,
- nougat and
- premium ingredient applications.
Global Macadamia Outlook
During the macadamia outlook session chaired by Alex Whyte from Green Farms Nut Company, China’s rapid expansion within the macadamia industry was highlighted. Supported by significant government investment at farm level, the country is now regarded as having marginally overtaken other producing regions in global production volumes.
Australia remains on forecast despite flooding in New South Wales, while Guatemala is recovering strongly (up 18%) and Kenya is growing steadily at 5%. Global supply growth is estimated at 8%. At the congress, the World Macadamia Organisation confirmed that product standards for macadamia kernel, in-shell and oil will be a key focus going forward with target markets including Europe and the United States.
At the same time, consumer demand in Asia continues to strengthen. In China, macadamias currently lead tree nut purchases on JD.com, one of the region’s largest e-commerce platforms, with more than 700 million users. Based on consumer purchasing trends, the platform is actively encouraging more macadamia brands to enter the category
Market Access Discussions
One of the most encouraging outcomes from the congress was SAMAC meeting with Colonel Nitin Sehgal (CEO, NDFC(I)) and Mr Gunjan Jain (Managing Director, Nutraj and NDFC(I) President). SAMAC presented the case for zero tariffs on macadamia imports into India and provided a progress update on the phytosanitary protocols into the country. Both were received positively and notably, the NDFC(I) CEO posted about the engagement on social media (read the LinkedIn post).
Other Commodities at a Glance
Supply pressures are widespread across the nut sector. Almonds, pecans, walnuts and Brazil nuts are all facing the similar challenges as macadamia with rising input costs, water constraints, fluctuating prices and tighter margins for leveraged operations.
The Brazil nut crop was down 80% in 2025 due to climate stress which was a stark reminder of what happens when supply chains are fragile.
Meanwhile, the pistachio industry is proof of what sustained quality and well-budgeted marketing can achieve, coining their viral status “momentum” rather than a moment. With record shipments and cultural visibility from ice cream, a colour pallet and even Rolex, pistachios are leaving their mark.
The cashew industry, by contrast, reached almond-equivalent production volumes in 2025/26 with a $0 promotion budget, while almonds spend $80 million annually. The lesson across all commodities is quality, marketing and market access work together, and none of them can be neglected.
In a Nutshell
In conclusion, the global nut and dried fruit industry is navigating real headwinds including climate, tariffs, regulation and cost pressures. These are challenges shared by every commodity. Yet despite these headwinds, the congress confirmed that:
- macadamias remain strongly positioned within the premium food category;
- the category continues to perform exceptionally well in China, ranking among the top-selling tree nuts on one of the world’s largest e-commerce platforms; and
- positive momentum continues to build around market access into India, one of the industry’s most strategically important growth markets.
To all our industry stakeholders, quality, consistency and proactive markets development are what will determine how well the South African industry capitalises on these opportunities.
