In Bundaberg, one of Australia’s top macadamia nut producing regions, there has been a five-fold increase in plantings in the last 20 years and there are now 6 million macadamia nut trees in cultivation – one third of which are not yet at full production. The domestic macadamia industry produced 8,300 tons of nuts last year, exporting 5,300 tons offshore with a value of more than $120 million. Forty percent of exports are sold to the Asia Pacific region with Taiwan, Korea and Japan being the biggest overseas consumers as their populations move away from their traditional rice and fish-based diets and towards more western ones. Within seven years the Australian Nut Industry predicts exports will triple to $725 million as the total Australian tree nut industry will reach a farm gate value of $1 trillion by 2020.