Win-win strategy: Intercropping macadamia with coffee

Income doubles through value-added processing

After nearly a decade of intercropping macadamia trees with coffee, Nguyen Dinh Cuong, a farmer in Tan Canh 5 Hamlet, Dak To Commune, Quang Ngai Province, has secured a stable additional income by shifting from selling fresh nuts to processing them into finished products.

In 2015, recognizing the crop's potential and its suitability to local growing conditions, Nguyen Dinh Cuong intercropped 250 macadamia trees across his 3-hectare coffee plantation. By 2021, the trees produced their first commercial harvest of around 900 kilograms of fresh nuts, generating more than VND 40 million in income.

Production continued to increase in the following years. Since 2022, each tree has yielded an average of 20-25 kilograms of fresh nuts. In 2025 alone, Cuong's family harvested nearly 4 tonnes.

To increase product value, Cuong invested more than VND 50 million in 2024 to purchase a shelling machine and a mini-drying kiln, enabling him to process macadamia nuts on-site. Instead of selling raw produce, the family sells processed nuts for VND 180,000-200,000 per kilogram, earning nearly VND 300 million in annual profit.

"Macadamia trees are easy to grow, require relatively little care, and are less susceptible to pests and diseases. Their harvest season also does not overlap with coffee, so labor demand is more manageable. Intercropping macadamia with coffee makes efficient use of land, irrigation, and the fertilizer already applied to the coffee plantation," Cuong said.

According to local growers, intercropping macadamia also brings multiple benefits to coffee plantations. The trees provide shade and wind protection, helping reduce the impact of strong winds and storms, retain soil moisture, lower temperatures, and create more favorable growing conditions for coffee. This production model is considered well aligned with the goals of sustainable agricultural development.

From fresh nuts to value-added products

Tran Xuan Dung, 46, from Tan Lap B Hamlet, Dak Mar Commune, also chose to integrate macadamia into his family's farming system. However, it took him several years to identify suitable cultivation practices before achieving the current level of productivity.

In 2015, Dung began intercropping macadamia trees on more than one hectare of coffee. Lacking experience at the time, the trees grew slowly and produced relatively low yields of only 10–15 kilograms of fresh nuts per tree.

Rather than giving up, he visited successful macadamia farms in Dak Lak and Gia Lai to learn cultivation techniques, fertilization methods, and pest and disease management practices.

"At first, the trees did not perform well because I lacked experience. After learning the proper techniques and applying them, productivity improved significantly," Dung said.

After refining his cultivation practices, the macadamia trees grew steadily, with each tree producing around 25 kilograms of fresh nuts. Seeing the crop's suitability to local conditions, he expanded the model by intercropping macadamia throughout his family's entire 13-hectare coffee plantation.

Beyond cultivation, Dung invested in a shelling machine, roasting equipment, and packaging facilities to produce value-added macadamia products. Instead of using industrial drying methods, he chose to roast the nuts over a wood-fired stove to create a distinctive flavor.

"Wood-fired roasting gives the nuts a richer aroma and preserves their natural flavor. I also use low-smoke firewood to ensure product quality," he said.

According to Dung, one kilogram of fresh macadamia nuts yields about 0.5 kilograms of processed kernels. The roasted kernels are currently sold for VND 200,000 per kilogram, mainly through supermarkets and major markets such as Ho Chi Minh City and Da Nang.

Each year, his family supplies more than 7 tonnes of processed macadamia products to the market, generating annual revenue of over VND 1 billion after production costs.

In 2024, Dung's macadamia product was recognized as a 3-star OCOP product. The certification has helped increase brand recognition and improve market access.

Building on the success of the model, Dung and other local farmers established the Dak Ha Thanh Cong Macadamia Cooperative in 2023. The cooperative currently has 11 members and manages around 40 hectares of macadamia production through cooperative linkages.

Quang Ngai Province has strong potential for agricultural development thanks to its distinctive agricultural, forestry, and fishery products. As the province continues to restructure its agricultural sector and enhance product value, the application of science and technology, particularly in post-harvest processing and preservation, is regarded as a key solution to increase value across the supply chain and expand market access.

According to Phan Van Hieu, Deputy Director of the Quang Ngai Department of Science and Technology, post-harvest processing and preservation are the "key" to extending shelf life, improving product quality, and increasing the value of agricultural products, thereby enhancing the competitiveness of Quang Ngai's produce in domestic and international markets.

"In recent years, many farmers have confidently introduced macadamia into their coffee plantations through intercropping, with encouraging economic results. By investing in value-added processing, developing OCOP products, and organizing production through cooperatives, farmers have increased product value while creating new opportunities for local economic development," said Le Mai Dung, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Dak Mar Commune.

$ 1 = VND 26,480 - Source: Vietcombank.