Reading Australia's 2024 macadamia benchmarks: match the sample before the target

A macadamia orchard's benchmark is only useful if the comparison uses the same population and measurement basis. Australia's 2024 industry benchmark report includes data from 275 farms covering 17,079 planted hectares, collected up to 31 March 2025. That is its participating sample, not a census of every Australian orchard.

Yield and quality figures come from 231 bearing farms representing 11,234 bearing hectares and 31,519 tonnes of nut-in-shell at 10% moisture. Planted hectares and bearing hectares answer different questions; the nut-in-shell moisture basis also needs to stay attached to the tonnage. The report says the sample represented approximately 54% of national production for that season.

The cost comparison uses a smaller group: 87 farms supplied cost data. A grower should therefore check the section's sample before treating a cost result as if it described all the farms contributing yield information. The report's confidential farm benchmarking compares participants with similar farms using criteria such as region, tree age and farm size.

Maturity and averaging methods also change the comparison. The report defines mature farms as having a weighted average tree age of at least 10 years. Its productivity charts distinguish averages weighted by bearing hectares from unweighted averages. A planted-area figure, a bearing-area yield and an unweighted farm average should not be substituted for one another.

The public report was produced through the Queensland Department of Primary Industries-led benchmarking project with research partners, using data provided by growers or processors. It describes the 2024 season and longer-term trends; it does not establish an orchard's current performance or guarantee a result. The exact publication date has not been established here. For a practical comparison, retain the season, region, tree-age group, hectare denominator and product or moisture basis beside the number.