Frost Inflicts Losses Worth $76m on Sirjan Pistachio Orchards

The recent cold spell has caused 19 trillion rials ($76 million) in losses to pistachio orchards in Sirjan County of Kerman Province. 
“Temperatures dipped below minus 5 degrees Celsius during two consecutive days and caused 25% to 90% losses on 43,000 hectares of orchards,” Akbar Mahmoudabadi, a local official, was quoted as saying by IRNA.
The official noted that 20,000 hectares of pistachio orchards in Sirjan are insured and therefore entitled to receive compensation for their losses.
Kerman Province in southeast Iran is the pistachio production hub of Iran.
Fresh and dried pistachio topped the list of agricultural exports from Iran in terms of value, as the country exported $920 million worth of the crop during the first 10 months of last fiscal year (started March 2020), latest data released by the Agriculture Ministry show.